I went to Calgary Oil & Gas Expo hoping to learn. We wanted to learn how big an issue birds pose to hydraulic fracturing and tailings ponds, what kinds of products are currently being used to prevent birds from landing, and how cost-effective those products are.
The Expo was large, but it was also not targeted at the hydraulic fracturing industry. There was only one company that builds the tanks that our nets would be covering. There were three other companies I found that install liners and different kinds of floating covers, and I managed to talk to these guys and get some perspective on the industry, but what I really learned is that this is a very new industry and there is no ‘industry standard’ for me to learn from; we need to convince people of the merit of our product on our own.
If we want to break into the Oil & Gas industry we need to get our product into the hands of the people responsible for installing and servicing hydraulic fracturing tanks, ponds, and the like. The Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Acts requirements set out in s.155 prescribe that animals cannot enter these storage containers, we need to show service and supply companies that our nets provide a cost effective way to meet compliance requirements.
So I know what we need to do, I know who to talk to, but I still need to make the connections necessary to get our nets and fabrics into the hands of these companies. Right now all sorts of other products: LRAD systems which shoot sound waves at approaching birds, artificial hunters firing propane cannons, and a half dozen other products are being used to scare birds and ensure compliance.
I’ll write a blog in a couple months about how successful this approach proves to be.
Cheers,
Joel.