Among the executive orders signed by President Donald Trump immediately following his inauguration were those that resumed processing LNG export permits and reopening parts of Alaska and federal waters to oil and gas development. In short, he set out to fulfill his campaign promise to let the nation’s oil and gas companies “drill, baby, drill.”
Of course, I have thoughts on what I believe all that means in practical and political parlance. But that’s a discussion for a different day or column. What can’t be argued is that the re-establishment of the U.S. as an unfettered oil and gas producer is another business opportunity for the process automation market.
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It’s no secret that oil and gas producers have been among the early adopters of process automation, test and measurment, and wireless/remote operations technologies—as I recently discussed with Ian Verhappen on the Control Amplified podcast. Oil and gas producers and refiners are highly motivated to be efficient and safe, whether driven by government regulations or competitive market forces. Just because the regulatory fears figure to take a back seat for the next four years doesn’t mean the global oil and gas market won’t be an even scarier motivator. So, expect oil and gas producers and refiners to look to increase their investment in industrial autonomy as they ramp up drilling both offshore and onshore.
"What can’t be argued is that the re-establishment of the U.S. as an unfettered oil and gas producer is another business opportunity for the process automation market."
The opportunity for process control instrumentation and automation systems suppliers will quickly follow. Now is a good time to re-engage with the oil producers of the Permian Basin and the natural gas producers in Appalachia, in particular. Construction of a new LNG export terminal near Philadelphia just became a more realistic possibility. More operations around the U.S., particularly in Alaska and offshore, will be re-energized, no pun intended. They're going to need and want advanced controls to increase production in an efficient, and yes, sustainable manner.
If there’s one thing that I learned from more than a decade interviewing global oil and gas executives, their ears quickly perk up when the talk turns to efficient operations and safety. Now is a good time to show them how they can achieve both. But don’t dawdle. Who knows what might happen again four years from now.
