APGA Conference Wrap-up
Lidiar Group was delighted to sponsor the APGA Conference and to support this year’s virtual event. With an emphasis on innovation, speakers discussed the critical issues and opportunities facing the sector. There was a lot to take in and some fantastic sharing of insights from machine learning monitoring of pipelines to cross border carbon capture and storage. It was also great to catch up with colleagues from across the industry at the Brisbane networking drinks. With this year’s conference being delivered virtually, it was fantastic to be part of a live event.
We caught up with Lidiar Group’s Niall Callan to find out his key takeaways from the conference.
What was the key takeaway from the conference?
A key takeaway for me was that Hydrogen and Carbon capture projects were at the forefront of the discussion, presenting opportunities rather than barriers for industry. I don’t think a day passed without some reference to a project focusing on reducing carbon. It’s encouraging to see the industry hasn’t buried its head in the sand on the matter, and innovation is alive and well. I was especially impressed by Ben Wilson from the Australian Gas Infrastructure Group, who spoke at the leader’s panel. He talked about a project already taking place, which provides blended H2 to the Mitchell park network in Adelaide.
Which speaker impressed – what was their key message/point/highlight from their presentation?
The keynote address by Kurt Fearnley was next level. His recollection of crawling the Kokoda track in 2009 is inspiring. Kevin Lester summed it up best; He is an absolute legend.
What future project does the team member find the most interesting/exciting?
I’m interested to see how Santos’s Carbon Capture project in the Cooper Basin progresses. I have spent many years in the Basin, and I’m encouraged to see it having a project with such potential to reduce Carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere.
What thoughts does the team member have as a result of the conference, and what will it mean for the sector?
The outlook is generally positive; there seems to be a steady pipeline (pardon the pun) of work to come, and carbon reduction is beginning to be seen as an opportunity rather than a threat or hindrance.