Volume 2 Number 4, Copyright © 1996 Petroleum Technology Transfer Council
| PTTC News | DOE Digest | Regional Roundup | Tech Transfer Track |
Producers who attended the Rocky Mountains resource center opening in Golden included Denver independent George Fancher Jr., chairman of the region's producer advisory group. "The ability to compare new software applications is a great opportunity for any producer," he said. "The objective of the new center is to find solutions to specific problems. Technical assistance also is available, which makes a big difference."
Rocky Mountains Director Dr. Roger Slatt, head of the Colorado School of Mines Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, coordinates programs in nine states. West Coast Director Dr. Iraj Ershaghi is director of USC's Petroleum Engineering Program. His region has held several problem identification workshops and Internet training sessions. The new resource center is designed to transfer technologies to producers in California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska. It offers visiting producers Internet access, software demonstrations and expert technical assistance from PTTC "troubleshooters."
New strategies for getting upstream technology into the hands of independent producers came from a Dec. 12 meeting of PTTC regional directors. The 10 directors compared experiences and agreed to pursue expanded contacts with small operating companies, service and supply companies, work more closely with state trade associations, and share technical workshop programs.
According to PTTC Executive Director Deborah Rowell, all domestic producers now have access to low-cost, expert help through regional programs. The technology transfer network (workshops, regional resource centers and Internet websites) was created for those without the resources for solving production problems, and who are unaware of recent research and emerging technologies.
The regional directors meeting in Washington, D.C., resulted in five working groups to coordinate PTTC programs. The groups are preparing action reports for their next meeting in early March. Topics being examined include, increasing visitors at resource centers, developing effective workshop programs, capturing data and demonstrating value, improving software training programs, and adding new services.
Information technology is changing the definition of modern exploration and production companies and blurring the boundaries between them, according to a study released in October by the Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA). The study, "The Quiet Revolution: Information Technology and the Reshaping of the Oil and Gas Business," examines how information technology has enabled the industry to survive since the oil price collapse of 1986 and today "operate in price environments that would have been unthinkable a decade ago," according to Dan Yergin, CERA president and Pulitzer Prize winning author.
Upstream companies currently spend an estimated $6 billion annually on information technology, the 112-page study notes. Managing information technology "can no longer be separated from the very essence of running an exploration and production business."
The CERA study employs a "scenario approach" to develop alternative pathways the future may take, including scenarios representing decisions about costs, drilling activity, resource allocation, competitive strategies, and organizational structure.
CERA notes that the industry's main competitive strategy cutting costs is starting to show diminishing returns. Companies now are looking beyond the search for savings and turning their attention toward the idea of affordable growth. Future demand for information technology will rely on outside organizations, including the defense industry. Contact: Carolyn Hale at CERA, (617) 441-2632.