The Biggest Energy, Environmental Consulting, and Field Service Trends
Two key trends are happening within the energy sector, accelerated in part by the pandemic and the need for companies to innovate in order to survive. Here, we’ll look at both of those trends, and the ways they are having an impact right now.
The first is the rapid transition toward renewable energy and environmental remediation. The second is the proliferation of digital transformations — companies embracing new technology, connecting their workforces, and finding new operational efficiencies.
Industries in Transition
Industry professionals following the energy sector can hardly be surprised at the volatility of oil and gas prices anymore. Downturns are becoming the norm and most fuel companies find themselves having to find new ways to adapt to that reality. With about 107,000 workers laid off between March and August 2020, some experts say the sector’s recovery might take nearly a decade. At the current rate of change, sea change in the sector will have occurred by then. In 10 years, the energy sector could be unrecognizable from its existing state.
According to Deloitte’s 2021 industry outlook, several significant changes will occur in field services as a result of a mix of short-term and long-term developments. Most notably, the shift toward renewable energy sources and digital transformation.
Numerous leading oil and gas corporations are already making the decision to go green within the next 25-30 years. Their new attention towards renewable energy is already being seen as a tipping point for many industry players. While fuel companies are adapting to all of this change, there are still opportunities for the environmental professionals in the industry, as remediation continues to become a priority for governments. More drilling sites are becoming decommissioned, creating more projects for the consultants who handle the remediation and reclamation of land.
The Growing Demand for Remediation
It looks like even the most optimistic growth predictions for the environmental remediation industry have been very conservative, and the need for environmental services in the field is increasing exponentially.
In Alberta (Canada) alone, there are almost 98,000 abandoned wells, for which the government has allocated $1.7 billion Canadian dollars to fund clean-up projects in the last year and a half. There is little doubt that yet more active oil and gas extraction facilities will be facing closures or go through reorganization within the next decade. Meanwhile, uncertainty in the market and decline in production will be driving oil prices higher for a while, giving another boost to the shift to greener energy.
Environmental consultants are faced with two new kinds of opportunity: to secure government funded remediation projects and to position themselves for the new energy future. Both require the ability to find new efficiencies in their operations and prepare themselves for growth.
Digital Transformation and the Change Toward the Connected Worker
Read that stat above again. 98,000 decommissioned wells in a single Canadian province. There is a lot of market share out there for consultants to claim. As most environmental consultants know though, managing those projects is easier said than done. Many of those sites are scattered throughout some of the most remote territory, the crews and camps having long moved on. Merely locating them all presents a challenge, let alone tracking their status.
That brings up the need for reliable digital tools that allow field service and environmental professionals to plan and manage operations remotely. No more wall maps and pins, no more project binders stored in cabinets. To capitalize on this market opportunity, consultants must engage in a digital transformation.
Environmental consultants have unique needs, however. The typical project management software solutions or even connected worker IoT solutions fall short of the ideal feature set. After all, 80% of field services rely on geospatial data. And historically, that data has been the domain of only highly trained GIS experts. Now, consultants can make the switch to digital tools and also make geospatial data available (and easy to understand) to their entire workforce, even in the field.
The Unique Challenges of Digital Technology
Currently, COVID-19 is challenging daily operations, such as tracking new manufacturing tasks, regulations (e.g. HSE, new personal protective equipment requirements) and moving roles, schedules, inspections, and practices from human-operated fields to digitally powered remote operations centres (Deloitte, 2020).
At the root of all these daily tasks is a single need — the ability to stay in touch and communicate transparently, swiftly and effectively. This is why real-time collaboration options have become critical for remote workers.
Applying data visualization and project management business solutions have helped multiple sectors overcome some of the impacts of the global pandemic. Filling gaps for technology talent during the crisis, using more advanced technologies, and speed in experimenting and innovating has been at the centre of an effective crisis response.
Tools for the Needs of Consultants and Their Real-World Projects
Flexible systems, cloud data storage and collaboration facilitation platforms are becoming of utmost importance in today’s industrial companies. For environmental consultants, project management suites with geospatial data integration can minimize operations risks, increase effectiveness and maximize ROI. Cloud technology enables companies to utilize other essential tools successfully, including AI and analytics.
The sooner that firms embrace digital transformation, the better. The first step is to find a reliable solution partner with an innovative approach to deployment strategy, security and support services.
Want to learn about how environmental consultants can manage up to 500% more projects with map-based project collaboration software? Download our free eBook. Curious about GIS software? Ask for a copy of our new Buyer’s Guide that discusses various evaluation tactics of finding your ideal GIS software solution partner.