by The Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) market is increasingly being defined by its volatility. From increases in spot prices to intense commercial demand expectations, cargo cancellations, shipment delays and more, it is widely reported that, “unplanned maintenance at LNG export facilities from Australia to Qatar to Malaysia has led to a tighter than expected market in the second half of the year [2020].” This unplanned maintenance, combined with “pandemic prompted dramatic price swings” has led to the halt in growth in the LNG market in 2020. As a result, LNG has been looking to digital transformation to ramp up recovery, avoid stagnant growth and deliver on increasing market pressure.
While the cost of oil drops for consumers, due to social impacts of COVID-19, the LNG market is preparing for long-term implications. LNG is poised to experience more growth in comparison with the traditional use of oil and coal in consuming countries as the spot market has made LNG a more attractive option. Consumers have been incentivized by low LNG prices, relative to oil and gas prices, to make a switch.
Though the outlook for LNG growth in 2021 is quite strong at this point, the market is still unpredictable. LNG, in the position of a relative newcomer in respect to oil and coal, will benefit from swift implementation of digital in their early stages of growth. Gaining an even greater competitive edge in LNG is dependent upon digital adoption where speed to value becomes the most critical element in a technology deployment.
For years the LNG and larger Oil & Gas market have been turning towards digital technologies for their many benefits, not the least of which being promises of decreased costs and increased efficiency. However, they have never felt a more significant pressure to extract value from digital then what they are experiencing right now. Many O&G corporations that were early adopters have previously been failed by tech companies touting pie in the sky Artificial Intelligence platforms which merely turn out to be static algorithms at best. After a failure to deliver on hype and promised benefit, these tech companies have only left behind frustration and a distrust in AI’s true capabilities.
These early adopters can rest assured that the marketplace has seen a significant shift from the early days of promises and theoretical AI to concrete benefits in practiced AI. What was once seen as potential benefit is now being realized. As mentioned in the above graphic, making the best of existing technology, through the implementation of Artificial Intelligence which utilizes existing infrastructure, like Maestro, can yield significant cost savings. LNG producers, driven by everchanging costs, need to adopt Artificial Intelligence to survive in todays’ landscape.
The pandemic has been a great shock to the market but with this shock comes an exciting opportunity for change. Leaders have been given the opportunity to evaluate existing business strategies and identify opportunities for growth. LNG producers have the potential to extract significant financial value and increased profit from digital and further their growth position in the O&G market. Digital value chain transformation will afford LNG opportunities in increased flexibility and responsiveness of their production to market conditions.
A critical element in the LNG and overall O&G journey to choosing a partner to adopt Artificial Intelligence with is the partner’s ability to deliver immediate value. Speed to value is driven by many factors but industry expertise, like that of Elutions’ Maestro, is paramount. To learn more about Maestro and individual case studies in the Oil & Gas sector, please contact us.
Leave a Reply