A two-day energy conference and networking program that presented updates on technology, safety and regulations drew 91 vendors Wednesday and Thursday at McGee Park in Farmington.
It has been held for more than 30 years.
Event coordinator Teia Camacho said the energy conference was rebranded to add participants from outside the oil and gas sector, such as solar companies. She said oil and gas industries are utilizing other technologies, such as solar, to boost their efficiency.
“It’s been a little bit of an uphill climb because of the changes that are happening here in San Juan Basin,” said Camacho, adding that since COVID, some companies have moved out of the region.
Ryan Briggs, executive committee chairman of the American Society of Safety Professionals, said his organization, along with Association for Materials Protection and Performance, American Petroleum Institute, Desk and Derrick Club, send representatives to the conference.
Briggs also said the Farmington Chamber of Commerce helps put the event on and is on the executive committee.
Exhibitors expressed a mixed view of business trends, ranging from a downturn to strength.
Tate Williams, an instrumentation consultant with Techstar, attributed a downturn in business to market and regulatory effects.
“Everything is in maintenance … there’s no drilling activity – mainly because the government is shutting that down,” Williams said, referring to drilling rig counts.
He described the Farmington area as a dry gas market, lacking hydrocarbon liquids that come with production. The flourishing Permian Basin, however, is a multistructured formation with a greater variety of energy products because it was an ocean three times in Earth’s history.
Clusters thrive with a lower regulatory environment and lower cost of drilling, Williams said.
Williams said they have solutions that match the needs of customers to stay in compliance and avoid fines.
“The final standards for new process units include emissions limitations and work practice standards for fluid catalytic cracking units, fluid coking units, delayed coking units, fuel gas combustion devices and sulfur recovery plants,” according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
“So the regulations we’re seeing today are slowing down the industry,” Williams said.
Techstar builds sensory devices to measure the production process, such as magmeters and guided wave radars that use telemetry to measure tank and vessel levels. Such technology enables oil companies to know their exact inventory at every location in the world.
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The conference and networking program drew 91 vendors Wednesday and Thursday at McGee Park in Farmington. Some business profiles follow.
“And that’s where we come in with cybersecurity,” he said.
“I’m seeing a lot more conservative purchases from customers in distribution,” said Wise, adding that in this uncertain election year, people aren’t buying a lot of inventory.
“It’s business as needed as opposed to you know, big inventory influx and projection out years ahead,” Buckley said.
“We’re doing OK. We know what our strengths are, and we leverage those strengths,” Hare said.
“Plus, we also do ignition systems, whether it’s carburetion or electronic ignition systems,” Hare said. “The economy has been great for us.”
This article was republished May 12 to paraphrase an unclear comment by Tate Williams, an instrumentation consultant with Techstar.
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