據美國油價網報道，被疫情影響加速的能源革命正在改變油氣行業(yè)核心的DNA。  

在最近的一次采訪中，英國光纖傳感器供應公司Silixa——一家為石油和天然氣行業(yè)以及其它行業(yè)提供光纖數據解決方案的公司——首席執(zhí)行官格林· 威廉姆斯披露了一些新興的認識，即石油和天然氣行業(yè)能夠對可再生能源領域作出強有力的貢獻。

威廉姆斯說，“許多人和整個國家都依賴于獨立油氣公司(IOC)及其供應商的繁榮和福祉，但他們仍被不公平地視為氣候變化和可再生能源革命的罪魁禍首。 事實上，他們已經全面參與了向可再生能源行業(yè)轉型的巨大事業(yè)。 所以，他們非但不是敵人，反而越來越成為氣候變化和可再生能源革命的推動者。

記者：您如何看待疫情大流行后油氣市場的現狀以及未來的前景?  

威廉姆斯：我們目前看到全球油氣勘探活動出現了大幅反彈。 此外，從中期來看，基本面看起來很強勁，到2022年底，全球需求水平將恢復到疫情前的水平。 COVID - 19期間存在嚴重的投資不足，我認為這將導致在2022年重新增加支出。  

對我們來說，石油和天然氣仍將是一個有吸引力的燃料，作為我們在歐佩克中東地區(qū)運營的客戶，大型海上水域和美國頁巖行業(yè)的投資水平都將提高，這將為Silixa公司帶來更多的機會。 

此外，運營商還需要滿足他們的環(huán)境、社會和治理（ESG）要求。 我們2021年看到的一個特點是減少了范圍1的排放。  

我們最近推出了一種干預系統(tǒng)，與常規(guī)技術相比，井中獲取數據的時間顯著縮短至幾個小時。 因此，我們的范圍1排放減少了，這是因為我們不需要地面上的發(fā)電廠運行幾天，而是一次只需要運行幾個小時。 如果我們是通過井完整性問題來處理易變的排放問題，那么可以通過識別泄漏源來快速解決問題，使客戶能夠快速進行他們的調解。

我們還看到數字化的加速發(fā)展，例如，無需專家在世界各地飛行，就可以對井旁作業(yè)進行監(jiān)督。 新冠肺炎疫情大流行期間建立的數字技術和解決方案的進步，將為一些快速移動的服務提供商提供一個強大的增長平臺。

記者：公眾形象在多大程度上反映出獨立石油公司及其供應商的實際行動方向?

威廉姆斯：盡管油氣公司及其供應商通過使命宣言、標識和公司顏色選擇等方式將自己打造成綠色企業(yè)，但如果沒有表達和強調真正的承諾，那么重新打造綠色品牌可能毫無意義。 

然而，油氣公司的品牌越來越多地反映出理念和業(yè)務實踐的根本變化。 例如，英國石油公司已經重新定位了可再生能源目標和明確的脫碳路線圖。 另一個例子是法國道達爾公司，這家法國石油巨頭經歷了徹底的品牌重塑，成為了道達爾能源公司，突顯出該公司是一家廣泛的能源供應商，而不僅僅是石油和天然氣供應商。

獨立石油公司已經在很多方面接受了能源轉型，像埃克森美孚公司這樣的石油巨頭已經確定了多個碳捕獲使用(CCU)項目。 一些國家可能在采用能源轉型方面進展緩慢，但現在正在加速對話，對碳捕獲和儲存中心作出非常堅定的承諾。 

2021年，我們注意到主要獨立石油公司有了更強的使命感，這反映了他們對股東的壓力以及世界范圍內正在發(fā)生的事情的反應。

記者：脫碳，可再生能源和可轉移技能 

威廉姆斯：以前投入油氣勘探作業(yè)的資金現在進入了可再生能源市場，主要是通過獲得許可證和從海上天然氣到海上風能的過渡，但主要是在新領域的運營。 一些大公司一直在為能夠進入可再生能源市場支付額外費用，我希望這對他們有好處。

在油氣行業(yè)，如何進入地下是眾所周知的：如何鉆井，如何確保井的安全，如何監(jiān)控井運行。 所有這些都可以轉化為二氧化碳的捕獲和儲存。 海上風能部門在這一過程中將能夠利用海底供應商的技術實踐和能力。 

然而，對于那些提供通用產品的海上供應商來說，這將是一個挑戰(zhàn)，因為隨著時間的推移，完井數量會越來越少，修井作業(yè)也會越來越少。 因此，如果一些通用產品提供商沒有任何突出的、被認為是同類中最好的產品，它們就會陷入困境。 

至于Silixa，我們處于有利地位。 現在，我們大約有一半的銷售額來自于油氣以外的業(yè)務。 我們發(fā)現，我們的油氣解決方案正在被迅速應用于采礦、碳捕獲和儲存以及地熱領域，而我們的投資和行動卻很少。 所以我對新領域的發(fā)展非常樂觀。

記者：Silixa如何適應新能源的常態(tài)?  

威廉姆斯：一段時間以來，新能源一直是一項基礎廣泛的業(yè)務。 有些人認為我們是一家石油和天然氣服務公司，但我們在此之外還有很多關系，提供非常廣泛的服務。 幸運的是，我們擁有一個多學科的團隊，他們已經能說新興領域的語言。

我們有5個業(yè)務部門，其中3個部門面向石油和天然氣，2個部門分別面向采礦和更廣泛的環(huán)境基礎設施領域。 在這些部門中，我們有一個替代能源團體和一個地球科學團體，以應對世界上正在出現的各種壓力，如氣候變化和人口增長。

我們對地下領域的了解將是安全和經濟地儲存二氧化碳和復雜地熱系統(tǒng)成功的關鍵。 多年來，我們對地下領域的了解和技術的應用，使我們的所有業(yè)務部門都擁有經驗豐富的地球物理學家和地質技術人員。 

一個與我們的碳儲存、地熱知識和可轉移技術相關的例子是Silixa公司的光分布式光導纖維傳感技術。 這一技術的獨特之處在于，它可以測量我們所說的遠場，這使得這種技術能夠跟蹤系統(tǒng)內和近場流體的運動。 這使我們能夠了解系統(tǒng)何時處于最佳狀態(tài)。

記者：你能舉一些這方面轉移的具體例子嗎?  

威廉姆斯：像人們的可轉移技能一樣，可轉移技術能夠迅速而適當地應用。 給我們信心的成功之一就是我們已經在把我們的一些油氣流量計量解決方案轉移到采礦業(yè)中所享受到樂趣的成功，在這種轉移中，我們能夠幫助我們的客戶了解大型網絡中的流動和轉移，并幫助他們實現避免水和能源使用的ESG目標。  

作為早期大量成功的一個結果，我們正在做一次重大投資來建設一個國際團隊，因為我們相信我們久經考驗的技術將幫助克服ESG以及在提供銅和鎳等賤金屬方面面臨的技術挑戰(zhàn)，這在能源轉型過程中至關重要。 所以，我們的技術中有很多非常特別的元素，尤其是我們快速應用成熟技術的能力，以應對能源轉型的挑戰(zhàn)，而這些技術現在是我們對抗全球氣候變暖所迫切需要的。  

李峻 編譯自 美國油價網

原文如下：

Big Oil Is Leading The Charge In The Renewable Revolution

The energy revolution, accelerated by the pandemic, is changing the DNA of the oil and gas industry at its core.

In a recent interview Glynn Williams, CEO of Silixa — a company that provides fiber optic-powered data solutions for the oil and gas sector (as well as several others) — reveals something of the emerging recognition that the oil and gas industry can make a strong contribution to the renewables sector:

“Many people and entire states depend on the prosperity and well-being of independent oil and gas companies (IOCs) and their suppliers, but they are still being cast unfairly as the villains of climate change and the renewables revolution. In reality, they have been fully engaged in the huge undertaking of transitioning their businesses and practices toward the renewables sector. So, far from being its enemies, they are increasingly its facilitators.”

What is your view on the current state of the oil and gas market in the wake of a pandemic and what are the prospects for the future?

We are currently seeing a big bounce-back in activity despite continued disruption being foreseen for the remainder of the year. Moreover, in the medium term the fundamentals look strong with pre-pandemic demand levels returning at the end of 2022. There has been significant underinvestment during the COVID period and that will, I feel, lead to a return of increased spending in 2022.

For us, oil and gas will remain an attractive segment in which to operate as our customers in the OPEC Middle East, the big water offshore and the U.S. shale sectors will all make improved levels of investment, which will then lead to further opportunities for Silixa.

Other opportunities will arise out of operators’ need to meet their ESG requirements. A feature we have seen this year has been reducing scope-one emissions.

We have recently launched an intervention system with the time in the well acquiring data significantly reduced to a matter of hours versus conventional techniques. So, our scope-one emissions are reduced because we don’t require generating plants at surface operations for days but only hours at a time. If we are dealing with issues of fugitive emissions through well integrity problems, they can be quickly resolved by identifying the source of the leak, enabling the customer to do their mediation quickly.

What we are also seeing is an acceleration of digitalization allowing, for example, supervision of well-side operations without the need to fly specialists around the world. The advance of digital technology and solutions established during the pandemic will be a strong platform for growth for some of the faster-moving service providers.

How much does public image reflect the actual direction of travel of IOCs and their suppliers?

Although oil & gas companies and their suppliers are branding themselves as green through mission statements, logos and corporate color choices, rebranding can be pointless where it doesn’t express and underline real commitment.

However, oil & gas company branding increasingly reflects fundamental changes in philosophy and business practices. For example, BP has repositioned with solid renewable energy targets and a defined roadmap to decarbonization. Another example is Total, which has undergone a complete rebranding becoming TotalEnergies, highlighting the company as a broad energy supplier rather than just oil and gas.

In many ways IOCs have embraced the energy transition, and companies like ExxonMobil have identified multiple carbon capture usage (CCU) projects. Some may have been slow in adopting energy transition, but are now accelerating the dialogue, making very strong commitments to carbon capture and storage hubs.

This year we have noticed a greater sense of purpose among the major IOCs, reflecting a response to shareholder pressures and what’s happening in the wider world.

Decarbonization, renewables and transferable skills

Investment that was going into exploration work previously is now going into renewables markets, largely by acquiring licenses and the transition from off-shore gas to off-shore wind, but mainly in operating in new areas. Some large companies have been paying premiums to access renewables markets, I hope it works out for them.

How to access the subsurface is very well known in the oil & gas industries: how to drill wells, how to make sure they are secure, how to monitor them. All of that is very transferable into CO2 capture and storage. The offshore wind energy sector will be able to exploit the practices of the technologies and competencies of the subsea providers.

However, it will be challenging for those in the offshore supply sector who are offering generic products because there will be fewer wells completed and progressively less intervention over time. So some of the generic providers will struggle if they don’t have anything that stands out and is considered best-in-class.

As for Silixa, we are well-positioned. Roughly half of our sales are now being generated outside of oil & gas. We are finding that our oil & gas solutions are now being rapidly adopted for use in mining, carbon capture & storage and geothermal sectors with little investment or actuation on our part. So I am very optimistic about what is playing out in new areas.

How does Silixa fit into the new energy normal?

It has been a broadly-based business for some while. Some identify with us as an oil & gas services business, but we have a lot of relationships outside that with a very broad offering. We are fortunate in having a multi-disciplinary team that already speaks the language of the emerging sectors.

We have five business units, three of them facing oil & gas and two of which are facing respectively mining and the broader area of environmental infrastructure. Within those, we have an alternative energy group, and an earth science group addressing the emerging pressures on the world, such as climate change and increasing populations. 

Our knowledge of the subsurface domain will be key to the safe and economic storage of CO2 and success of complex geothermal systems. This understanding of the subsurface domain and application of the technology over many years has resulted in all parts of our business well populated with experienced geophysicists and geotechnical staff.

A case in point relating to our carbon storage and geothermal knowledge and transferable technologies is in the company’s optically distributed fiber optic sensing. This is unique in that the technology can make measurements of what we call the far-field, which enables it to track the movements of fluids within the system and in the near-field. This enables us to understand when the system is in optimum conditions.

Can you give any specific examples of transference in this area?

Transferable technology, like people’s transferable skills, can be applied quickly and appropriately. One of the successes that gives us confidence looking forward is the success we have already enjoyed in transferring some of our oil and gas flow metering solutions to the mining sector where we can help our customers understand flow and movement within large networks and help achieve their ESG objectives avoiding water and energy use.

As a result of considerable early success, we are making a significant investment in building an international team as we believe our proven technologies will assist in overcoming ESG and technical challenges in the provision of base metals such as copper and nickel, which are vital in the energy transition picture. So, there are many elements to our technology that are very special, particularly our ability to quickly apply proven techniques to the challenges of energy transition that are now so urgently needed to combat global warming.