President elect Donald Trump has nominated Scott Pruitt to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – an agency Pruitt has sued multiple times in his role as Oklahoma’s Attorney General. Recently, Pruitt took legal action against the EPA over regulations that aim to restrict methane emissions from the Oil & Gas Industry.
The news is perhaps unsurprising; characteristic of the major changes 2016 has seen across the globe. Political changes, ranging from US and EU Iranian sanctions being lifted, to civil war erupting in Syria and Britain voting to leave the EU, have had a significant impact on oil prices, investment opportunities and financial markets.
Global oil prices have also been impacted by US shale gas production, which has continued to rise throughout the year. In addition, for the first time since 1969 the US is producing liquefied natural gas (LNG) for global export.
Despite the continued depression in the price of oil into 2016, the trend over the last 12 months has been upward. While political changes around the world have impacted companies in the oil and gas sector, there has been a renewed commitment from the industry to manage and reduce carbon emissions, particularly those from gas flaring.
Since its launch in April 2015, signatories to the World Bank Zero Flaring Initiative have increased by 37. While support for the initiative is growing, gas flaring has increased in some locations, including Iraq, Iran, Venezuela, Algeria, and Malaysia. Due to the boom in shale gas production, flaring has also increased in the US, but there has been a significant reduction in high-volume flaring countries such as Russia and Nigeria.
For Fluenta, 2016 has been a successful year. Internally the company has grown, with key appointments throughout the Fluenta team, including Stephen Fox as Sales Manager Europe, and Dr Neil Bird as Engineering Director.
Fluenta’s focus on expansion into promising new markets has secured sales partnerships. In Europe, Fluenta is now working with Netherlands-based liquid and gas flow solutions provider Wegman. In the US, Fluenta is working with Technical Devices Inc (TDI) and Texas-based Vector Controls and Automation Group. Fluenta has also joined forces with Canadian process and analytical instrumentation specialist Vanko, and Thailand-based MEGEX.
In August, Fluenta announced the renewal of its value-added reseller (VAR) agreement with ABLE Instruments & Controls Ltd, which marks a successful commercial relationship spanning more than a decade.
Fluenta offers customers the most accurate and reliable ultrasonic flare gas measurement devices available. This accuracy was certified by the prestigious Colorado Engineering Experiment Station (CEESI) in September, which proved Fluenta meters perform with an uncertainty of less than three per cent without prior calibration. The announcement led to a contract to supply Fluenta flare gas meters to Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) at 14 South and East Kuwait gathering centres shortly afterwards.
In July, Fluenta announced a two-year framework agreement with leading energy company Statoil, positioning Fluenta as a preferred supplier of flare gas meters to the company for the next two years. More recently, Fluenta announced the sale of 24 of its ultrasonic flare gas meters to Malaysian state-run oil and gas company Petronas. The systems will be installed at the Petronas refinery and petrochemical integrated development (RAPID) complex in Southeastern Johon, Malaysia, and the sale makes Fluenta the single biggest supplier for the landmark project.
Fluenta’s customers can expect some exciting new announcements in 2017 as the company continues to strive to provide the most accurate, reliable flare gas measurement technology available.
