By Paul Wiseman
Before the rise of the oil and gas industry, homes were heated by coal or wood, and they were lit by whale oil, lard oil, coal oil, etc. To the great benefit of whales, by the mid-1870s, most of these options were being replaced by petroleum-based kerosene.
Now the clamor for reduction in a fuel’s carbon intensity is pushing oil companies to help with the next energy transition. They’re doing this by partnering with renewable energy producers and researchers to speed the process and further reduce the energy intensity involved even in renewables. Carbon intensity is defined by the U. S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) as “The amount of carbon by weight emitted per unit of energy consumed (CO2 emissions/energy).”
If all proposed renewable diesel projects are completed, the EIA reports, the nation’s production capacity for the fuel would rise from the .5 billion gallons available in 2020 to about 5 billion gallons per year in 2024. Industrial Info is tracking more than $18 billion worth of renewable diesel projects in the U.S. and Canada.
But it’s not just any renewables, says IIR Energy’s Vice President of Natural Gas Processing Greg Carlson. “These companies are going after stricter carbon intensity (CI) ratings.” Crude oil tops that list, but a previous darling, biodiesel, also has a higher CI rating, but is less engine-friendly, than the newer form called renewable diesel. Although CI includes the amount of carbon released in burning a fuel, it also includes carbon expended all the way up the supply chain, from mining/harvesting to refining.
Basin’s First Colocation Data Center Coming
Mission Critical Facilities International (MCFI), a leader in global data center and telecom infrastructure solutions, announced it has deployed its GENIUS Modular Data Center, a purpose-built modular edge data center, in Midland, Texas, the heart of the most prolific oil and gas production area in North America. BBT selected the MCFI GENIUS Modular Data Center solution to provide energy-efficient and reliable IT infrastructure to improve communications and safety in the oilfields and the surrounding digitally underserved communities of West Texas.
MCFI’S GENIUS Modular Data Center for BBT is the first colocation facility in the Permian Basin. The data center, which is now open and serving customers, is master-planned for a total of 440 racks, 5MW of critical power, and scalable MMR supporting up to 30 fiber carriers. The initial phase has deployed 1MW of delivered power and 88 racks and is designed to scale along with the demand to manage capital outlay.
The GENIUS Modular Data Center is a pre-designed/pre-engineered data center solution that leverages the benefits of containerized data centers with an impressive speed to market, going from pad to operation in as little as five to eight months. It also delivers maximum leasable space and a life expectancy of over 30 years with significant cost savings to customers.
“We’re excited to bring our GENIUS Modular Data Centers to the Permian Basin,” said Patrick Giangrosso, Vice President at MCFI. “We are committed to providing innovative, sustainable, cost-effective, and quick-to-deploy infrastructure solutions with the economics and flexibility of a stick-built data center for edge or colocation providers. Our partnership with BBT is pioneering change in critical communications at the edge for West Texas oil and gas industries.”
The BBT data center location will serve as the aggregation point for communication services in the Permian Basin with improved connectivity at oil and gas wellheads, providing live views with augmented reality to reduce traffic and enhance work safety and communications in the oilfields. Emergency services and businesses in West Texas can also access a more robust IT infrastructure with disaster recovery solutions to protect critical communications.
“This is BBT’s first data center and it is a success because of the expertise and guidance from the MCFI team,” said Neville Haynes, Vice President of Data Center Operations at BBT. “MCFI deployed within our accelerated timeline, pivoted quickly, and accommodated our anchor tenant requests while overcoming challenges related to permitting, construction, the pandemic, severe weather and supply chains. MCFI handled the entire process perfectly.”
BBT is continuing work with MCFI on a second planned data center location.
CEOs of Ford, PG&E to Speak at Conference
The CEOs of Ford Motor Company and PG&E Corporation are to address delegates in a special dialogue at CERAWeek by IHS Markit 2022 in Houston, March 7-11. CEOs James D. Farley, Jr., and Patti Poppe will join moderator Daniel Yergin, CERAWeek conference chair and vice chairman of IHS Markit, for a special session focused on the advent of electric cars and what that means for the relationship between the auto and electric power industries – and for motorists and consumers.
“We are pleased to welcome PG&E Corporation CEO Patti Poppe and Ford Motor Company CEO Jim Farley to CERAWeek by IHS Markit 2022 for an important and timely dialogue,” Yergin said. “This year’s conference is keenly focused on the challenges of balance inherent to the energy transition—between what amounts to a rapid transformation of the world’s $86 trillion economy and the need for stable and reliable energy flows and means of transport that people rely on.
“The automotive and electric utility sectors are at the forefront of this transition, and they are increasingly interconnected in shaping its outcome. Both Ford Motor Company and PG&E Corporation are leaders in conceptualizing and shaping this future, and we are grateful to have the two distinguished CEOs of these companies bring their unique knowledge, experience and insights to what will be a stimulating and eye-opening discussion.”
CERAWeek 2022: Pace of Change: Energy, Climate and Innovation will examine the challenges and opportunities of reducing emissions while supplying the needs of a growing global economy in the era of energy transition. The conference is returning to Houston for its 40th annual gathering after being hosted as an all-virtual event in 2021.
Produced by IHS Markit (NYSE: INFO), a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions, the CERAWeek 2022 conference program will explore key themes related to More Energy, Lower Emissions; Geopolitics and Energy Markets; Workforce of the Future; Competitive Landscape and the Energy Transition; Supply Chains; and Financing the Energy Future.
The conference will also feature the CERAWeek Innovation Agora, serving as the center of technology and innovation programming at the event. Featuring a community of thought leaders, technologists, start-ups, investors, academics, energy companies and government officials, the Innovation Agora will showcase transformational technology platforms in the energy space ranging from digitalization, AI, analytics and connectivity, robotics, blockchain, additive manufacturing, mobility and decarbonization. Newly added for 2022 will be dedicated “Agora Hubs” focused on hydrogen and carbon management.
CERAWeek 2022 speakers will include (partial list):
- Jennifer Granholm – secretary of energy, U.S. Department of Energy
- John F. Kerry – special presidential envoy for climate, United States
- Vicki Hollub – CEO, Occidental
- Amin Nasser – president and CEO, Saudi Aramco
- Bernard Looney – CEO, bp
- Patti Poppe – CEO, PG&E Corporation
- James D. Farley, Jr. – CEO, Ford Motor Company
- Pedro Pizarro – president and CEO, Edison International
- Ben van Beurden – CEO, Royal Dutch Shell
- Patrick Pouyanné – chairman of the board and CEO, TotalEnergies
- Jim Fitterling – chairman and CEO, Dow
- E. Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo – secretary general, OPEC
- Ignacio Galán – chairman and CEO, Iberdrola, S.A.
- Shrikant Madhav Vaidya – chairman, IndianOil
- Maria Pope – president and CEO, Portland General Electric
- Ryan Lance – chairman and CEO, ConocoPhillips
- E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber – minister of industry and advanced technology; special envoy for climate change and chairman of Masdar, United Arab Emirates; Group CEO, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC)
- Fatih Birol – executive director, International Energy Agency
- Josu Jon Imaz – CEO, Repsol
- Jill Evanko – CEO and president, Chart Industries
- Richard Glick – chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
- Miranda Ballentine – CEO, Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA)
- Ernie Thrasher – CEO and chief marketing officer, Xcoal Energy and Resources
- Øyvind Eriksen – president and CEO, Aker ASA
- Peter Terwiesch – president, process automation and member of group executive committee, ABB
- Jean-Pascal Tricoire – chairman and CEO, Schneider Electric
- RJ Scaringe – CEO, Rivian
- Barbara Burger – vice president, innovation, Chevron; president, Chevron Technology Ventures
- Carri Lockhard – executive vice president, technology, digital and innovation, Equinor
- Christian Bruch – president and CEO, Siemens Energy
- Sunita Narain – director general, Center for Science and Environment
- Amos Hochstein – senior advisor for energy security, U.S. Department of State
- Dan Brouillette – president, Sempra Infrastructure
- Emma Delaney – executive vice president, customers and products, bp
- Daniel Poneman – president and CEO, Centrus Energy
- Scott Sheffield – CEO, Pioneer Natural Resources
- Sonya Savage – minister of energy, Alberta, Canada
- Mark Little – president and CEO, Suncor
- Felipe Bayón – CEO, Ecopetrol S.A.
- Dawn Summers – member of the executive board and COO, region EMEA, Wintershall Dea AG
- Mark Nelson – executive vice president, downstream and chemicals, Chevron
Visit www.ceraweek.com for a complete list of speakers and the most up-to-date program information