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Oilwoman Magazine September/October 2021

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The Texas Grid Blackouts p. 30Hydropower: The Power of Water p. 14Woman on Board: Arcilia Acosta p. 12WE Connect with Aisha Ghuman p. 4THE MAGAZINE FOR LEADERS IN AMERICAN ENERGYSeptember / October 2021OilwomanMagazine.comMaria Claudia Borras Executive Vice President, Oileld Services, Baker Hughes

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Explore why over a 100 upstream and midstream companies rely on us to Accelerate their Business Performance, Reduce Costs, and Empower their Workforce.JOINTHE RUSHTO THE LEADINGOIL & GAS SAAS ERPWEnergySoftware.comDISCOVER THE FUTUREWe are the Oil & Gas Industry’s Only Unified SaaS ERP Solution, Built for the Cloud

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1Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comIN THIS ISSUEFeatureCover Story: Maria Claudia Borras: Transformative Leadership: Rebecca Ponton .......................................................................... 20-23In Every Issue Letter from the Editor-in-Chief ............................................................................................................................................................................2OILMAN Contributors ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 2OILMAN Online // Social Stream ....................................................................................................................................................................3Energy Data ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 3OILWOMAN ColumnsInterview: Aisha Ghuman, Vice President of Marketing, W Energy Software: Rebecca Ponton ........................................................4Woman on Board: Arcilia Acosta: A Great Connector: Lucinda Jackson .............................................................................................. 12She’s Got The Power: The Texas Grid Blackouts of 2021: Claudia Melatini ........................................................................................ 30Oilwoman Cartoon ............................................................................................................................................................................................37Alternative Energy: Vanir Energy: Leading the Charge Through Solar Power: Claudia Melatini .....................................................38Guest ColumnsA Day in The Life of: A Drone Pilot: Yesenia Rodriguez ............................................................................................................................ 6Stem in Action: Energy Systems Transformation Opens Up New Opportunities for Women: Sandra Chavez ..............................8Hydropower Overview: The Power of Water: Shannon West ................................................................................................................. 14Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Special: Focus on Thriving, Focus to Empower: Catalina Consuegra ...................................... 18NextGen | Young Professional: Ilyani Sanchez, Warehouse Supervisor: Alan Alexeyev .................................................................26Honorary Oilwoman: James E. Campos Gets Real about the Need for Women to be at the Forefront of the Industry’s Evolution: JJ Love .................................................................................................................................................................................................28BookSHElf: Gaslighted: How the Oil and Gas Industry Shortchanges Women: Christine Williams ............................................... 32Energy Neighbor: Spotlight on Mexico: Angela Levy ...............................................................................................................................34Northeast U.S. Oil Market: The American Shales: Nissa Darbonne .....................................................................................................36Family: The Future is Female: Massiel Diez ..................................................................................................................................................42

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2Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comSEPTEMBER — OCTOBER 2021PUBLISHER Emmanuel SullivanEDITOR-IN-CHIEF Rebecca PontonMANAGING EDITOR Sarah SkinnerASSISTANT EDITOR Eric R. EisslerASSOCIATE EDITOR Tonae’ HamiltonCOPY EDITOR Shannon WestCREATIVE DIRECTOR Kim FischerCONTRIBUTING EDITORS Lucinda Jackson Claudia MelatiniADVERTISING SALES Diana George Connie LaughlinTo subscribe to Oilman Magazine, please visit our website, www.oilmanmagazine.com/subscribe. The contents of this publication are copyright 2021 by Oilman Magazine, LLC, with all rights restricted. Any reproduction or use of content without written consent of Oilman Magazine, LLC is strictly prohibited.All information in this publication is gathered from sources considered to be reliable, but the accuracy of the information cannot be guaranteed. Oilman Magazine reserves the right to edit all contributed articles. Editorial content does not necessarily reect the opinions of the publisher. Any advice given in editorial content or advertisements should be considered information only.CHANGE OF ADDRESS Please send address change to Oilman Magazine P.O. Box 42511 Houston, TX 77242 (800) 562-2340Cover photo courtesy of Baker HughesLucinda JacksonLucinda Jackson is the author of the memoir Just a Girl: Growing Up Female and Ambitious about her struggles to succeed in male-dominated work settings. As a Ph.D. scientist and global corporate executive, Jackson spent almost fty years in academia and Fortune 500 companies. She has published articles, book chapters and patents, and is featured on podcasts and radio. She lives near San Francisco and is the founder of Lucinda Jackson Ventures, where she speaks and consults on empowering women in the workplace. Connect with Jackson or nd her book at: lucindajackson.com.Claudia MelatiniClaudia Melatini has been a content marketing writer in the private wealth, FinTech, and energy and renewables spaces for over 15 years. She has written for American Funds, Capital Group, LPL, RBC Wealth Management, Living Lela, Petnovations and more. Visit www.thepowerfulpage.com. LETTER FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEFCONTRIBUTORS — BiographiesRebecca Ponton, Editor-in-Chief, OILWOMAN MagazineWe have a lot to celebrate this month! Not only is November Hispanic Heritage Month in the U.S. – and we have proled some incredible Hispanic women in industry from all over the world in this issue – but it is also the one-year anniversary of the debut of our sneak preview of Oilwoman Magazine. It is hard to believe it has been a whole year since our publisher, Emanuel Sullivan, made the bold decision to create the only magazine that focuses solely on women in the energy industry, in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. We applaud him for being an ally and advocate for women and other minorities in industry and appreciate him giving us a platform to tell these stories. We also thank the women in this issue for sharing their journeys so that we can learn from and be inspired by them. Role models and mentors – even if they’re virtual – are vital to our professional success in an industry where we don’t always see and hear someone like us.According to UN Women, environment/natural resources/energy is among the top ve portfolios held by women throughout the world. Among the women energy ministers in Latin American countries are Evelyna Wever-Croes, of Aruba, who is also prime minister, Joy Grant of Belize, Andrea Meza of Costa Rica and Rocío Nahle of Mexico. Having women in these high-level roles can only serve to strengthen the industry with diverse voices, ideas and solutions, as we move forward with the energy transition. As Maria Claudia Borras, EVP Oileld Services at Baker Hughes, says in our cover interview, women have to be given “opportunities to show their talents, take on challenges, deliver results. That’s how they have the best chance for a rewarding career, whether it’s reaching executive ranks or contributing on an individual basis.”We all have something to offer!

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3Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.com3DIGITAL RENEWABLE DATAConnect with OILWOMAN anytime at OILWOMANMAGAZINE.com and on social media#OilwomanNEWSStay updated between issues with weekly reports delivered online at OilwomanMagazine.comSOCIAL STREAMHydroelectricity generation by state in 2020Hydropower generationAnnual hydropower generation is measured in terawatt-hours (TWh)

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4Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comOILWOMAN COLUMNInterview: Aisha Ghuman, Vice President of Marketing, W Energy Software By Rebecca PontonRebecca Ponton: What is the broad, overarching theme of this year’s WE Connect conference and what is the main message you want to get out to potential attendees and sponsors?Aisha Ghuman: WE Connect is W Energy Software’s annual user con-ference and this year we’re hosting it in person at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa near San Anto-nio in October. It’s designed for our existing users with learning tracks for upstream and midstream areas of focus, plus attendees qualify for continuing education credits. But it’s truly open to anyone interested in our software. Thought provoking presentations from our product experts provide invalu-able points of view on current industry trends and ERP best practices.The overarching theme for this year’s WE Connect is relentless innovation. Innovation isn’t a project for W Energy Software, something we start and stop. We have a continuous improvement commitment, unlike our competitors who innovate through acquiring other companies then shut the innovation valve off post acquisition. Something that is completely unique to W Energy Software is that we allow our users to vote on the features and product direc-tion they want while at WE Connect. This year’s voting will be even better because we’re making the process more robust and transparent. So, the take-aways for our users and partners is that W Energy Software is the biggest and boldest innovator in oil and gas soft-ware and that we are committed to our users and forging strong partnerships to make W Energy Software the best in the business.RP: Like all conferences, WE Con-nect was not held in 2020 due to the pandemic. What did you do to stay connected with prospective clients, customers and other end users of your products and keep them up to date on what W Energy has to offer?AG: Our team really doubled down on communication. Working from home was so hard partly because we all in-stantly lost the face to face connection with colleagues, underscoring the need to keep communicating and stay con-nected. One of the rst things we did was to put out an open letter and video from our CEO, Pete Waldroop, sharing his point of view through many indus-try cycles to let customers and potential clients know we will all get through this by working together. We reached out to our customers, prospects and the industry as a whole on every digital channel, from social media platforms to virtual events. The important part is that we reached out with valuable infor-mation, resources, research and, most importantly, guidance on how peers are working through shared challenges of driving digital transformation agendas in their organizations. The W Energy Software Marketing team stepped up our “Thought Leadership on Tap” and “Coffee Break Webinar” series to put more faces and human connec-tion in LinkedIn feeds to bring valu-able insights directly from our product experts. Oh, and “feel good Friday” was (and still is) our weekly opportunity to inject some levity and humor on social media from W Energy Software em-ployees who recorded their own videos.RP: With everything from daily meetings to annual conferences going virtual in the past 12 to 18 months, what do you see as the greatest value in hosting and attending an in-person event, such as WE Connect?AG: We were seeing a signicant amount of virtual event fatigue in the industry and, truth be told, they aren’t the best format for people to engage with each other. Face to face confer-ences are so important because, of course, you’d rather do business with a handshake than over Zoom. The key is to host your event in the most responsible manner given the ongo-ing pandemic, which is why W Energy Software is committed to the safest environment at WE Connect for our users to learn and network. Commu-

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5Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comOILWOMAN COLUMNnity is big for W Energy Software; [it’s] built into everything we do from product development to our amazing support philosophy. WE Connect is truly where we connect with our user community, which provides invaluable opportunities to exchange knowledge, catch up and discover new paths, something that you simply would never get with a virtual event.RP: During the last year or more, we have all become heavily reliant on technology. What do you believe has been the biggest benefit of this to your staff and company, as well as your customers?AG: For so many people, getting accus-tomed to doing business over Zoom, Microsoft Teams and other video apps was the biggest learning curve. But the broader technology picture is that the Cloud truly came into its own as the digital fabric that held everything to-gether. Video conferencing is just one aspect of the Cloud that powered us through 2020 and this year. Software as a service, or SaaS, suddenly became the only way to work. Think of all that old legacy oil and gas software that has to be used sitting in an ofce. You either had to take a risk and go in or you just didn’t get work done. W Energy Soft-ware users, on the other hand, didn’t miss a beat because our ERP soft-ware is 100 percent cloud based. The industry really had an awakening about the software it uses, which is why W Energy Software has seen accelerated growth over the last year and a half as upstream and midstream companies rushed to our SaaS ERP solutions.RP: Will W Energy Software be un-veiling any surprises at WE Connect? Can we expect to see new products or services coming from W Energy Software in 2021 or 2022?AG: I mentioned relentless innovation before and there are two big ways we’re showing that off at WE Connect this year. Late last year, W Energy Software announced that we were setting out to rebuild oil and gas measurement data management around the voice of the customer and, in less than a year, we have. We’ve been able to fast track be-cause of our agile cloud-based software architecture, plus we’ve been able to leverage existing solutions like our allo-cations engine, imbalance module and calculation trace. Measurement is like the cash register for the oil eld and, by integrating measurement data man-agement capabilities directly into W Energy Software, our customers gain better visibility into volumes, improve protability, and get a superior alterna-tive to the big incumbent solution on the market.The other big innovation we’re show-casing at WE Connect is our recent acquisition of Chorus Logistics, add-ing an innovative suite of transporta-tion management solutions to provide W Energy Software clients with a seamless end to end energy supply chain. This is a quantum leap for our customers to track every molecule, move product and know where it is at all times. We now have one of the most powerful mobile apps for Apple and Android on the market, and a cloud-based back ofce for carriers that automates dispatch, improves driver efciency, and increases compa-ny prots by improving every facet of the supply chain. It’s like Uber but for crude oil trucking eets, water haulers, fuel and rened product marketers. W Energy Software’s new transporta-tion solution is a reection of our commitment to continued innovation and growing our platform based on customer needs. Not to spoil any sur-prises, but for those who can connect the dots here around capturing trans-actions, automating accounting and compliance, and leveraging W Energy Software’s background in risk manage-ment, you’ll quickly see that energy trading, ETRM, is just one of the directions we could be headed. Come to WE Connect and nd out! ADVERTISE WITH US!Are you looking to expand your reach in the oil and gas marketplace? Do you have a product or service that would benefit the industry? If so, we would like to speak with you!CALL US (800) 562-2340 EX. 1 We have a creative team that can design your ad! OilwomanMagazine.com/advertise • Advertising@OilmanMagazine.com

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6Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comA DAY IN THE LIFEA Day in the Life of…a Drone Pilot By Yesenia RodriguezI’d like to preface this by stating my ver-sion of “A Day in the Life” is never a “day.” Working in the energy sector, it’s more like “many days of a single proj-ect.” Along with being a drone pilot, I also shoot video, interviews and b-roll (supporting footage) to accompany most of my projects. Preparing to shoot a project starts days before the rst shot has ever taken place. A very important part of my job takes place in the pre-production phase. Dur-ing this stage, we have many conversa-tions with the clients, to make certain we understand exactly what the scope of work entails. We prepare our ight maps to make certain we are aware of all hazards, maximum ight ceiling and whether we have to issue a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) to the Federal Avia-tion Administration (FAA), which alerts aircraft pilots to potential hazards (such as a drone) along the ight path, before commencing the project. We then have to acquire secondary insurance which covers each individual ight location over and above our primary liability insurance.We operate three different models of drones; the one we use for a job depends on which one is best for a particular application. The various models utilize different batteries, lters, lenses, control-lers and monitors. We carry three totally different kits thus allowing us to always be ready for almost any challenge that is thrown at us.Prepping for ight consists of charging all the batteries, running a systems check for possible drone rmware updates, camera app updates, etc. Then I take the drones for a ight test and make sure there are no issues with the drone camera. I pack my gear, which consists of a video camera and still (photo) cam-eras, tripods, sound kit, lenses, batteries, chargers, media cards, hard drives, laptop, drone kits, miscellaneous tool kit, cables, hard hat, steel-toes and a few carts to move all this through the hotel hallways.7:00 am – I’m at home in Austin and re-ceive nal conrmation for the arrival of bp’s newest asset, Argos – aka Mad Dog 2. I was expecting this call any minute, so my gear is packed and the gas tank to my vehicle is full. The call comes in that Argos is two days out. We load up and start the three and a half hour drive to Ingleside, Texas. 6:30 am the following day – I arrive at Kiewit (KOS) in Ingleside for site orientation, which lasts about ve hours, then I need to scout both the KOS site and surrounding area for drone opera-tions: launch, land, etc. This also includes monitoring weather at each location. I introduce myself to another drone team that will be working at the site and ex-change phone numbers for constant con-tact since we’ll be operating on the same day(s). Before the day is over, I follow up on the status of Argos and am told it is slated to enter Aransas Pass sometime between 12:00 pm and 3:00 pm the next day. That being said, I need to be at the rst drone location at least by 8:00 am. Even with Argos slated for afternoon arrival, things can change and it’s always best to give yourself more than enough time to make adjustments, if needed. 1:43 pm – The arrival is delayed another two days due to non-ideal weather, in-cluding heavy fog, wind and choppy seas. During this time, we head to the KOS site for capturing interviews and b-roll of those involved with the Argos project and the arrival logistics.2:20 pm – Argos is nally approaching the jetty and I power up the drone. I go through the preight checklist, have the drone hover a short while, then head up and out. Argos is huge and traveling about eight knots/hour, which means I will have about seven to 10 minutes to capture both photos and video. After Ar-gos has passed a certain point, it’s time to pack up and head to the second location,

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7Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comA DAY IN THE LIFEwhich is about a 20 minute drive. Once there, I pull out the drone landing pad, assemble the drone and run through the preight checklist again. It never fails – as soon as the drone comes out, so do onlookers who want to ask me questions. If there’s time, I’ll chat with them for a few minutes, then kindly ask them to refrain from ask-ing any more questions until the drone operation is complete. Again, I capture photo and video, land the drone, go through the post-ight checklist, pack up and head to the nal location at the KOS site. By the time we arrive, Argos is quayside with the sun shining on it which is always great for photo and video capture. Once again, I run through my drone operation set up, capture pho-tos and video, and call it a day. I head to the hotel to download media cards, re-charge batteries and prep for the next day, when there will be more interviews and b-roll. 2:00 am – Argos arrives via the vessel Boskalis Boka Vanguard and now it’s time to capture the ballasting and oating production unit (FPU) oat off. This process will take hours, starting at 2:00 am and nishing by 5:00 pm or pos-sibly earlier. Very slow processes are not conducive to using a drone; however, time-lapse capture would be perfect. After arriving at the KOS site ve hours before sunrise, we set up multiple cam-eras. There is light rain, so one camera is wrapped in plastic and the other is covered by an umbrella. Throughout this process, we constantly check on the cam-era’s status (battery and media storage), which means taking ve ights of stairs each time – good exercise! Once the FPU is mooring, I bring the drone back out for more photos and video. Then it’s time to head back home and start the process of editing a completed piece. For me, post-production always starts before a project is nished. At the end of each day, media is downloaded into three hard drives: the main one and two back-ups. Photos and video are cata-loged by dates, item captured and so on, then ingested into Adobe Premiere for video and Lightroom for photos. All this takes time, so while my laptop is running these tasks, I’ll either have a meal, start on any other prep work for the next day or my favorite – have a siesta! That way, once I’m back at the ofce, most les will be ready for me to assemble a rst edit. There will be rounds of edits sent to the client for feedback until everyone on the comms team has signed off and the nal edit, which includes different edits for both internal and external, is ready to be published. Once I’m back home, I work on my edits and coordinate the logistics for my next adventure. My 75 pound pup, Ella (after Fitzgerald), a hound/pit mix I ad-opted this summer, is nudging my elbow the entire time, reminding me that, while I love my job, there is more to life than just work.Yesenia Rodriguez is a drone pilot and direc-tor of photography with experience in corporate videos and documentary lms. She prides herself on being friendly, easy to work with and also able to produce high-quality and ef-fective videos. She is based in Austin, Texas, and splits her time between work and exercising with her dog, Ella. www.yeseniarodriguez.com.

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8Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comEnergy Systems Transformation Opens Up New Opportunities for Women By Sandra ChavezWe are presented with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform our energy systems. Keeping the rise of global temperature below 2°C requires extensive technological and societal change. To meet this goal, renewable energy and other enabling technologies such as hydrogen and energy storage are being deployed at an unprecedented scale and pace. As these technologies rapidly grow, whole new professions are emerging to support them with a need for tal-ent across their entire value chains in manufacturing, design, nance, con-struction, operation and maintenance. This change is driving a reinvented energy workforce and is an oppor-tunity to increase the representation of women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). As an engineer from Mexico who has spent the last decade working to accelerate renewable energy deploy-ment and its integration into energy systems around the world, the trans-formation of energy systems is very close to my heart and the focus of my work.I feel so fortunate to have entered the workforce at a time when renew-able energy sources were scaling up. For my graduate degree, I studied the physics of renewable energy tech-nologies such as solar photovoltaics, solar thermal, bioenergy and wind energy. My STEM credentials in these emerging technologies opened up the opportunity to work on some of the rst utility-scale solar photovoltaic projects in Europe as well as rural electrication projects in Africa. For example, during my master’s thesis, I conducted a techno-economic analy-sis of solar PV and batteries charging stations to electrify rural households in Mozambique. It was very reward-ing to see how solar PV and batteries installed in remote locations could power lights, cell phone chargers, radios, fridges and many more appli-ances where traditional power lines did not reach. This experience fueled my passion to use my work to contribute to improv-ing people’s lives, especially those most vulnerable, by providing them with sustainable, reliable and afford-able energy. As a Mexican, I feel so fortunate to have worked helping other developing countries harness the benets of the energy transition and leapfrog into a low-carbon future. As I advanced in my career, I expand-ed my credentials to the policy regula-tion and nance aspects of renewable energy to better address the energy transformation in a more holistic manner. This enabled me to work in international organizations, engi-neering consulting, think tanks and STEM IN ACTIONContinued on next page...“Diversity also drives innovation and accelerates the transformation of our energy systems. I want to help bring more women and different voices to the startup and venture capital ecosystem.”

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10Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comdevelopment banks providing techni-cal assistance to developing countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia.As I moved to a mid-career level, I noticed that more knowledge did not directly translate into more opportu-nities. I started seeing less representa-tion of women and less opportunities for me when compared with my male colleagues. Despite the renewable energy sector having more represen-tation of women than the energy sec-tor as a whole (32 percent compared to 22 percent), the underrep-resentation of women was accentuated as I advanced in my career. I believe that bringing in the talent of more women at all levels, and particularly at decision-mak-ing levels, can truly accelerate the transformation of the energy sector. Thanks to many generous mentors that provided advice, support and networks, I’ve continued to access growth opportunities in my career. It has been very empowering to learn that I am not alone facing road-blocks to career advancement, such as delegation of less technical work, limited traveling opportunities, being underpaid or being excluded from informal networking opportunities. These are all common situations that many other women have to deal with in a traditionally male-dominated industry. As a result, I became pas-sionate about helping women with STEM backgrounds advance in their careers and ourish in technical disciplines. Particularly for the new and rapidly growing sectors, such as energy storage, hydrogen and others, there is a window of opportunity to incorporate more women in techni-cal and leadership roles and establish inclusive industry culture from the get-go.Putting inspiration into action, I spear-headed a global mentoring program for women from developing countries working in energy storage. Developed by the World Bank in partnership with the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition (GWNET), the program targets mid-career women from developing countries working in the energy storage space. Through men-toring, we equipped 25 outstanding and highly motivated women with personal and professional skills to take their careers to the next level. While I enjoy div-ing into the technical details of new energy technologies, I also aim to do my part driving the change in societal gender norms needed to create a more inclusive energy sector for women. Working with energy storage tech-nologies opened my eyes to how quickly the energy system is being transformed and how much I love being at the forefront of technology innovation. The future energy system will require a wide range of solutions beyond wind and solar. Many of these technologies already exist but are still at an early stage of develop-ment. Today, my focus has shifted to addressing decarbonization through scaling up transformative innovations in clean energy and mobility. I work at Powerhouse, an innovation rm and venture capital fund in Silicon Valley, advising corporations in their path to net zero and connecting them with cutting-edge startups. Diversity also drives innovation and accelerates the transformation of our energy systems. I want to help bring more women and different voices to the startup and venture capital ecosystem. In the United States, only one percent of venture investors are Latinx. When connecting startups and corporations, I include and em-power traditionally underrepresented groups in the clean energy innovation ecosystem. This rst decade in the renewable energy sector has been a fantastic journey. If you would have asked me when I was an engineering student about what I would do in the rst 10 years of my career, I could not have envisioned this. My hope is that this energy transition will continue to bring opportunities for women that we can’t even imagine now. I want to encourage other women in STEM to be inquisitive and adventurous and explore new career paths. By building on specialized technical knowledge and helping each other through men-toring, we can reimagine our energy systems to ones where more women have a leading role to play.Sandra Chavez is a renewable energy engineer from Mexico. She has a decade of experience in clean energy, innovation and international development. Her focus includes renewable energy deployment, energy access and energy storage systems, among others. Currently, Chavez is the Director of Partnerships at Powerhouse. She has worked for development banks, international organizations, think tanks and industry associations in three continents. She holds a M.Sc. in Renewable Energy from the University of Oldenburg, and certications in Power Sector Regulation and Climate Finance. Chavez is a passionate advocate for gender equality and was an Atlantic Council’s Women Leaders in Energy Fellow in 2020. For more information on GWNET, go to globalwomennet.org. STEM IN ACTION

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12Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comArcilia Acosta: A Great Connector By Lucinda Jackson“Before we start,” Arcilia Acosta says, “I want to know about you.” We share stories, then the conversation evolves to past work activities we have in common, mutual friends, work in-terests where we can help each other…and laughter.Acosta has just demonstrated her incredible ability to connect with oth-ers – a skill that can’t be emphasized enough to women in a male-dominated eld like the energy business. Acosta shows this expertise over and over during our conversation, ending stories about past mentors, colleagues, even competitors, with, “And we’re still friends today. People do business with people they like.”Making connections and keeping that network are techniques Acosta has used to rise to her current levels of CEO and Board of Directors (BOD) member today. She is founder and CEO of two companies, CARCON Industries & Construction and South-western Testing Laboratories (STL Engineers). Her companies serve the energy industry, providing construc-tion, geotechnical and construction materials testing services in the largest oil and gas plain in the United States – the Permian basin – for clients such as ONCOR and Chevron.Further, Acosta has been or is currently a member of the BOD of multiple en-ergy companies, including Magnolia Oil and Gas (NYSE: MGY), Vistra Cor-poration (NYSE: VST), Energy Future Holdings Corporation (2008-2016) and ONE Gas Incorporated (NYSE: OGS) from 2018 to 2020. Other keys to her success in a busi-ness that remains predominantly male become apparent during our conversation. Acosta knows how to take risks with your own priorities as a guide. When she started her rst business over twenty years ago, her young boys were two and four years old. She left a secure career in bank-ing to explore her vision that she felt would ensure a better future for her family. She says, “Everything I’ve ever done and every decision I’ve ever made revolved around my two sons.” Acosta made sure she had a back-up plan to return to her former career if her entrepreneurship wasn’t a suc-cess, but she’s a true believer in taking chances. She didn’t pay herself and used her own savings for collateral on her rst loan – big risks – but she feels, “The risks in life that you regret are those that you never take.”Her philosophy in life is to have no regrets. This drove her to rise at 3 AM, leave the house by 4 AM, do her job at her company, be back by 7 AM to wake up her boys and take them to school – and then head off to do more work. Acosta wanted to be there for her boys. The elusive work/life balance all of us women dream of is hard to achieve, but Acosta emphasized fulll-ing her family role because, as she says, “Regrets can haunt you.”In building her business, Acosta learned to work through struggles. When she joined the engineering and energy industries, she didn’t realize how few women were in those elds. Unfor-tunately, she admits she still can count on one hand the number of women at the job site or in the room. Acosta faced her own battles with sexism and racism. She relates the story of her subcontractor who walked up to her on her job site in ip ops and shorts and said, “I hear you’re the Latino woman WOMAN ON BOARD“Live your life well with the right values and people will help you.”WOMAN ON BOARD!

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13Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comwho’s winning all the jobs.” Instead of overtly addressing the mi-croaggression, Acosta responded with a brilliant and honest approach that made her point about who’s the leader and in charge: “And who might you be? And could you please leave my site and come back tomorrow in proper safety gear?” Even with the risks and struggles, Acosta believes one of the most important lessons is to keep your val-ues. The mission statement of CAR-CON reects this belief, with its focus on successful partnerships, integrity, fairness and effective communication. Acosta follows her own advice: “Live your life well with the right values and people will help you.” Acosta’s company mission also in-cludes a spotlight on the highest level of value-added services from the get-go. She believes top quality right out of the gate is essential, “If it’s not right in the beginning, it is not going to be right in the end.”Use your instincts is another practice that Acosta says has helped her with condence, something many of us women today still battle in our careers. She’s honed those skills by reading books on the topic and talking with experts. She encourages us all to “trust our vibes, our gut instincts and the red ags that something is not right; we women are very powerful with our intuition.” So, if women take risks, have no regrets, work through the struggles, keep our values and use our instincts, will we see more women on boards?Yes, Acosta believes, if women support other women through her motto: “Empowered women…empower women.” Acosta has a call to action for those women already on a BOD. “Since as a board member you get to weigh in on adding additional board members, it’s incumbent on the women who cur-rently serve on boards to be responsi-ble for the change. We need to replace ourselves two-fold; that’s my goal on every board I serve.” Beyond that, women board mem-bers must show interest in women on management teams; these C-suite women are our future female board members. Acosta introduces herself to them, gets to know them, then makes sure these women meet other critical management members. Women currently serving on boards can also open the minds of members to consider a broader view of the qualications of potential board candi-dates. Acosta relates a poignant exam-ple. “We were considering two candi-dates, one a male and one a female. I could tell the CEO was leaning toward the male. But I wanted him to see the bigger view. We were in the middle of a difcult time for the company. So, I asked the CEO to lean back in his seat, paint a mental picture of our current situation – all the details – and then ask ourselves who had the whole pack-age to best serve in the role we needed. Not just degrees and years of experi-ence, but a wider look at the range of talents. We chose the female.”Acosta herself mentors women who want to be on boards. She shares her insights: • Go to a reputable educational gov-ernance program such as Stanford, Kellogg and Harvard (Acosta went to Harvard). • Participate in the National Associa-tion of Corporate Directors.• Tell people you want it.• Build and inform others about your expertise. For example, if you’ve worked with a board, say so.To come full circle, connect with others. And, to perfectly illustrate that point, Acosta wraps up our discussion by summarizing the mutual “asks” from each other that will benet both of us. She says she always wants to “touch with grace and leave the best impression I can.” Then, to further demonstrate how to be a connector, our conversation ends with Acosta’s words, “We’ve met; we’ll always be friends.” WOMAN ON BOARD

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14Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comHYDROPOWER OVERVIEWThe Power of Water By Shannon WestWater makes up 71 percent of the Earth’s surface and 60 percent of the human body. It creates and sustains life. It’s abundant and powerful enough to destroy whole cities. It’s no surprise that we’ve found a way to harness the force of this mighty, readily available resource. Hydropower uses rapidly moving water to generate renewable, inexpensive, reli-able and adaptable electricity. The Greeks began using descending water more than 2,000 years ago to turn wheels that would mill wheat into our. Mechanical hydropower was used to pump and mill regularly in the 1700s. In the past, hydroelectric power accounted for a much larger percentage of electric-ity used in the United States than it does currently. About 40 percent of the pow-er that we used in the early 1900s came from hydropower, and, in the 1940s, it generated 75 percent of the power in the West and Pacic Northwest. Those percentages have since dwindled as fos-sil fuels have become the main energy source. Today, it only accounts for ap-proximately 10 percent of the electric power generation in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Reclamation. Wendy S. Kalidass, supervisor of Electric Reliability Compliance – Hy-dropower Division in Denver, Colo-rado, shines a little light on the history of hydropower in the U.S. by adding, “During the 20th century, the Federal Government invested enormous re-sources in water infrastructure through-out the western United States to help develop the West, reduce ood risks to communities, provide reliable water supplies for farms, families, businesses, sh and wildlife, and generate depend-able, renewable hydropower.”In the renewable energy sector, hydro-power is the standout, producing 60 percent of all sustainable power across the globe. When you include fossil fuels and nuclear power in the overall mix, the number decreases substantially, but is still signicant, at 16 percent worldwide. The majority of renewable energy in the U.S. is created by water, which mirrors the ratio of hydropower to other renewables uni-versally. It is considered the preferred method of electricity generation in areas that have an abun-dance of owing water; in Norway, hydropower is the source of 99 percent of the country’s power. In 2019, international hydropower electricity generation and generation capabilities hit an all-time high; the installed capacity, or the amount of energy that a station can produce at a given time, was 1308 gigawatts, and a whopping 4306-terawatt hours were generated. The U.S., along with India, China, Canada and Brazil, is one of the world leaders in terms of installed capacity. The Three Gorges Dam in China is the largest hydropower plant in the world, producing approximately 90-terawatt hours yearly and supplying 70 to 80 million households with power. On a personal note, a dam that is near and dear to my heart and forever will be cemented as a part of one of the most beautiful sites on the magnicent journey of my move from Texas to Portland, Oregon, is the Dalles Lock and Dam. I often would make the hour drive out to the Dalles just to gaze at the gorgeous scene, a large owing river surrounded by mountains covered in gigantic Christmas trees. The Columbia River in this region is quite a site. As vast as it is beautiful, it is now the location of one of the top ten largest hydropower plants in the U.S. Its total generation capacity is Wendy S. KalidassDalles Lock and Dam in Oregon. Photo courtesy of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Portland District.

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15Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comLUCINDA JACKSON VENTURESAUTHOR, SPEAKER, CONSULTANTEmpowering Women in the Workplace and in LifeLucinda Jackson is the author of the memoir Just a Girl: Growing Up Female and Ambitious about her struggles to succeed in male-dominated oil and gas and chemical organizations. As a PhD scientist and global corporate executive, Lucinda spent almost fty years in academia and Fortune 500 companies. She has published articles, book chapters, and patents and is featured on podcasts and radio. She is the Founder of Lucinda Jackson Ventures, where she speaks and consults on empowering women in the workplace. She lives near San Francisco. Connect with Lucinda or nd her book at: www.lucindajackson.com Just a Girl doesn’t leave you angry or feeling hopeless. Instead it oers solutions for how women can learn to stand in their authentic selves”— Kaya Singer, Author, Wiser and Wilder“HYDROPOWER OVERVIEW2,160 megawatts, and its average yearly electricity production from 2010 – 2012 was 7,273,579 hours. Not only is the Dalles Dam used to generate power, it is also used for recreation, ood mitiga-tion and irrigation, and contains sh ladders so that migrating sh can return to their spawning grounds. The Pacic Northwest is also home to the largest hydropower plant in the U.S., the Grand Coulee Dam, which helped make Wash-ington the top contributor for total U.S. hydropower generation capacity at 27 percent in the summer of 2020.Hydropower plants can be made with or without dams or reservoirs. Those with them can generate the most electricity. However, those without them are con-sidered more environmentally friendly because they do not obstruct the natural ow of a river. There are different types of hydropower plants: diversion, im-poundment and pumped-storage plants. Impoundment is the most widely used type and involves the use of a reservoir to store water in a dam. Water from the dam is funneled into a passageway, called a penstock, that houses a turbine. The water rotates the blades which trig-gers the generator to create electricity. Impoundment, or run-of-river, facilities take advantage of the natural ow of water by routing part of the river into a canal or penstock. Pumped storage fa-cilities use the energy created by another power source, like solar, wind or air, to pump water from a lower reservoir to a higher one. This acts as a battery by storing power when the demand is low. When the electricity is needed, the water is released back into the lower reservoir and rotates the turbine. Due to its energy storage services and exibility, pumped storage hydropower perfectly accompanies uctuating renewable power sources, such as solar and wind. On a still and shady day, it can pick up the slack. Kalidass says that hydropower provides “ancillary services [that] are valuable in areas that inte-grate renewable energy resources, such as solar power in the southwest and wind power in the Pacic northwest.” Pumped storage hydropower is the most massive battery equipment in the world, far outreaching all other battery types. It holds 94 percent of the world’s installed power, an estimated 9,000-giga-watt hours. In 2019, there were 158 gigawatts of pumped storage capacity from all sites. Variable renewable energy (VRE) curtailment cuts back power generation at times when it is not needed (which means loss of potential electricity sales), but pumped storage can prevent this practice by saving the unused energy for a later date. Also, transmission Continued on next page...

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16Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comHYDROPOWER OVERVIEWcongestion can occur when the grid is overloaded with excess power, which can lead to wire breakage, shorts and an overall decline in system efciency. Pumped storage can mitigate this issue by taking on the excess electricity. Kalidass says, “An important benet of hydropower is its storage ability that provides contingency reserves available to the grid within seconds of identi-ed critical needs. Hydropower plants provide essential back-up power during major electricity outages or disrup-tions. Hydropower was used for recent critical energy needs in California dur-ing the summer of 2020 and Texas in the winter of 2021.”A clear advantage to hydropower is that it is a green alternative to fossil fuels. Compared to other forms of electricity, it has the lowest greenhouse gas emission concentration. Over the last 50 years, 100 billion tons of carbon dioxide transmission have been avoided using hydropower. The total carbon footprint of the U.S. is equal to that in a 20-year period. Four billion more tons of carbon dioxide a year would be re-leased if current hydropower were replaced with coal. The use of hydropower can seriously mitigate the negative im-pact we have on our environment and benet us all. However, in order to reduce the climb of the global tempera-ture by two de-grees Celsius by 2050, we must increase hydropower ac-commodations by 60 percent, or 2,150 gigawatts, from where it already is, according to the International Renew-able Energy Agency (IRENA). Based on the current projects under way, by 2030 there should be an increase in storage capacity of 240 gigawatts. Although the upfront construction costs of hydropower facilities are high, it produces relatively inexpensive elec-tricity in the long run. In 2018, it was the least expensive form of power in most markets at 47 cents per kilowatt hour. In addition to cost, it has the advantage of long asset life; due to the water cycle, the same water can be used over and over again. Kali-dass says that the Bureau of Rec-lamation “works cooperatively with federal, state, tribal and local entities to plan for and implement actions to increase water supply through programs such as WaterSMART, desalination and water purication research, cooperative watershed management, drought resil-iency, snow water supply forecasting and water conservation eld services.”Kalidass describes the benets of hydropower when compared to other forms of power generation. “Hy-dropower is a exible and renewable resource that provides a reliable source of electricity and a suite of ancil-lary services to energy markets and the electrical grid. Ancillary services include contingency reserve, frequency response, load following, regulating reserve, black start capability -[the es-tablished ability of a generating unit to automatically continue running at de-creased levels when detached from the grid] and reactive power support. Reli-able, low-cost hydropower generated at 53 Reclamation projects provides tremendous value to the nation that has supported development of the western U.S. over 100 years through the provision of water and electric power to rural communities as well as ancillary services to support western interconnection grid reliability.” Shannon West gradu-ated with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Psychol-ogy from Texas State University, where she de-veloped a knack for writing research papers and case study analyses. After years of helping friends edit their university papers and cover letters, she is now putting those skills to use by copy editing and writing here at OILWOMAN Magazine. In her spare time, West also handcrafts jewelry. Instagram @shannonmakesjewelry. The Hoover Dam on the border between Nevada and Arizona. Photo courtesy of the Bureau of Reclamation.Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River in China is the world’s biggest hydroelectric facility in terms of installed capacity. Photo courtesy of zgsxycll – 123rf.com.

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Introduction to the Oil & Gas IndustrySelf Paced eLearningThis short self-paced introductory training course provides delegates with an overview of principal activities in the international upstream, midstream and downstream petroleum industry, which can be undertaken as a whole (4 hours of study time) or as individual modules (45 minutes of study time).Ageing and Life Extension of Offshore Structures for Oil, Gas and Wind Energy6–7 and 9–10 September 2021, onlineThis course will give you an insight into managing ageing and life extension of offshore structures. Delivered by three engineers with extensive consultancy and regulatory experience of ageing and life extension of offshore structures.Introduction to LNG10–13 May, online & 1–2 November, classroom This course gives an overview of the LNG chain and the technology and economics of the global LNG industry. By the end of the course you will appreciate thecore technologies underpinning the LNG industry in Liquefaction, Shipping, and Regasication.Economics of the Oil and Gas Industry24–27 May, online & 8–9 November, classroom This course provides an introduction to the economics that drive the oil and gas industry. Topics covered include; the oil and gas value chains, costs, revenues, and risks associated with various stages in the chains, basic economic principles, the pricing of oil, and oil products and gas.Oil and Gas Mergers and Acquisition: Acquiring and Divesting Assets and Companies24–27 May, online & 25–27 October, classroom This course focuses on integrating an understanding of Mergers and Acquisition (M&A) activity trends, the process involved in conducting M&A activities and the skills that requires.Energy Storage Fundamentals for Energy SecuritySelf Paced eLearning & 6–7 May, onlineThis course provides delegates with a comprehensive overview of energy storage systems as we transition from fossil fuel based energy to renewable energy sources looking into the power and oil and gas sectors.Oil and Gas Industry Fundamentals – Awareness20–21 September, classroomThis course provides an overview of principal activities in the international upstream, midstream and downstream petroleum industry.Oil and Gas Industry Fundamentals – Intensive2–5 November, classroomThis intensive 4-day course comprehensively covers the oil and gas supply chains from exploration through to fuel retailing. Oil and Gas 2021 Training Courses For more information visit www.energy-inst.org/oilandgastrainingor contact webtraining@energyinst.orgIn-house training available upon requestThe EI can also create tailored programmes from a combination of our existing course content or develop a unique programme from scratch using our specialised qualied trainers. Introduction to the Oil & Gas IndustrySelf Paced eLearningThis short self-paced introductory training course provides delegates with an overview of principal activities in the international upstream, midstream and downstream petroleum industry, which can be undertaken as a whole (4 hours of study time) or as individual modules (45 minutes of study time).Ageing and Life Extension of Offshore Structures for Oil, Gas and Wind Energy6–7 and 9–10 September 2021, onlineThis course will give you an insight into managing ageing and life extension of offshore structures. Delivered by three engineers with extensive consultancy and regulatory experience of ageing and life extension of offshore structures.Introduction to LNG10–13 May, online & 1–2 November, classroom This course gives an overview of the LNG chain and the technology and economics of the global LNG industry. By the end of the course you will appreciate thecore technologies underpinning the LNG industry in Liquefaction, Shipping, and Regasication.Economics of the Oil and Gas Industry24–27 May, online & 8–9 November, classroom This course provides an introduction to the economics that drive the oil and gas industry. Topics covered include; the oil and gas value chains, costs, revenues, and risks associated with various stages in the chains, basic economic principles, the pricing of oil, and oil products and gas.Oil and Gas Mergers and Acquisition: Acquiring and Divesting Assets and Companies24–27 May, online & 25–27 October, classroom This course focuses on integrating an understanding of Mergers and Acquisition (M&A) activity trends, the process involved in conducting M&A activities and the skills that requires.Energy Storage Fundamentals for Energy SecuritySelf Paced eLearning & 6–7 May, onlineThis course provides delegates with a comprehensive overview of energy storage systems as we transition from fossil fuel based energy to renewable energy sources looking into the power and oil and gas sectors.Oil and Gas Industry Fundamentals – Awareness20–21 September, classroomThis course provides an overview of principal activities in the international upstream, midstream and downstream petroleum industry.Oil and Gas Industry Fundamentals – Intensive2–5 November, classroomThis intensive 4-day course comprehensively covers the oil and gas supply chains from exploration through to fuel retailing. Oil and Gas 2021 Training Courses For more information visit www.energy-inst.org/oilandgastrainingor contact webtraining@energyinst.orgIn-house training available upon requestThe EI can also create tailored programmes from a combination of our existing course content or develop a unique programme from scratch using our specialised qualied trainers.

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18Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comDIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION SPECIALFocus on Thriving, Focus to Empower By Catalina ConsuegraThe diversity and inclusion (D&I) landscape in the energy industry has changed dramatically over the years. More companies have understood the value of D&I to innovation, recruiting, retaining and developing a competitive workforce in today’s global environ-ment. The energy industry is transition-ing, delivering a cleaner industry for future generations. Companies are rede-ning their business models to focus on value-thriving initiatives that yield more collaborative and innovative teams that connect better with the increasingly di-verse marketplace community by foster-ing inclusive leaders who promote inclu-sion and build strong relationships with the marketplace community. While the data clearly shows that diverse organiza-tions outperform their peers nancially, boost innovation and retain employees, we need to realize that demographic diversity in the workplace is a reality.Companies need to effectively utilize the existing diversity to create an equitable workplace for their employees and deliver a cleaner industry for future generations. Building a sustainable future is one of the industry’s most pressing challenges, but we can only solve it by ensuring all communities and demographics are engaged and allowed to participate. Therefore, as an advocate of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in our industry, I wanted to share some key points on how we can embrace our existing diversity by fostering inclusion in the workplace and focusing on thriv-ing and empowering others:Be fearless and dare to try. Do not be afraid to try new things, switch gears. To thrive in our industry, you need to be adaptable to change. There is no doing without trying rst. When I started my professional journey in international operations in the oil and gas industry, I never imagined I would end up advo-cating for DEI, but guess what? I did. After working many years in operations, I was presented with the opportunity to advance my career in operations or take a different career path, one where I had to learn from scratch and work my way up again. I hesitated, but I decided to start over. I took the risk and decided to leave my comfort zone. I ended up working in an area I had never worked before: diversity and inclusion. Being a woman in the industry, an immigrant, bi-racial and working internationally, I had the passion for this line of work, so I took that leap, and I am happy I did. So, my rst piece of advice is focus on being fearless, dare to try, learn new skills, be exible with your goals; your priorities can and will change over time, be adaptable and do not be afraid of change.Be open. Be willing to give and receive feedback. To thrive, we need feedback. Feedback on how you’re doing makes an essential contribution to your de-velopment because it provides insights into how others experience you and your work. Being open to feedback involves being willing to take onboard feedback from a range of sources, give it careful consideration and, when appropriate, act on it. In addition, it

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19Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comDIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION SPECIALinvolves managing your internal gut reactions, especially when the feedback is not what you expected. Be inclusive. Make sure to give feed-back to others, help your peers and create safe spaces. Do not be afraid to ask questions that invite honesty; be ready with questions that express genu-ine interest and pave the way for the conversation. When giving feedback, re-member to listen attentively and always express appreciation.Focus on being open to learning as much as you can!Focus on collaboration. We are better together than individually. Understand that collaboration is the key to team performance success. To be intentional with your inclusion, you also need to empower those around you by creating safe spaces in which all individuals feel empowered to express their opin-ions freely within the group without judgment or retribution. Realize that diversity of thought and diversity of working styles are critical to effective collaboration.Another key aspect of inclusive col-laboration is to seek diversity in your circle. So, as you focus on collaborating, always consider multiple perspectives, be inclusive and connect and expand your network.Unlock your full potential. Under-stand that talent comes in all shapes by acknowledging that our differences make us stronger. This is something I struggled with. I remember I was constantly mocked at work because of my accent, which made me feel unsafe, and I even tried to take classes to soften it, but guess what? It did not work. I continue to have a very strong accent! I remember not wanting to speak at meetings, and I was shy. It was only when I realized that my accent is part of who I am that I embraced it and was able to bring my true self to work, and, looking back, that is when my career started to ourish.My message here is to continue focus-ing on unlocking your full potential by embracing your differences and those around you. See these differences as strengths because they are. Be self-reective. Be aware and conscious about your path, attitudes and goals moving forward. The path to true inclusion starts with “I.” It begins with you. To help create that sense of belonging, you need to be in continuous reection of yourself. Focus on being self-reective to thrive and empower others by developing your self-aware-ness. Creating this trait is crucial for per-ceiving yourself accurately and aligning how you see yourself with how others perceive you. To genuinely foster inclusion in our industry, we need to embrace that diver-sity and understand that our different backgrounds and lived experiences bring their unique strengths to help teams tackle problems, uncover new ideas and create the right environment for all individuals to thrive. When considering diversity and inclusion, we also need to remember equity. There’s a growing divide in the access of affordability of energy and sharing the benets of the energy transition equitably. An equitable energy transition will only happen if our most vulnerable communities are included. We need to stay committed to empowering these communities to thrive; we do play a role. My invitation to you is to play an active role.I want to invite the readers of this ar-ticle to focus on being fearless to foster openness and collaboration by unlock-ing your true potential, bringing your authentic self and building your self-awareness to THRIVE, EMPOWER and INCLUDE everyone. When you give up the need to be right and instead become curious, you open yourself up to learn how you can ensure others feel welcomed, valued, respected and heard. Remember: you are already equipped with the ability to make a difference.Catalina Consuegra started her career in the energy industry in Co-lombia and has worked internationally with both oil and gas operators and service com-panies. She has also worked in inter-national deepwater drilling operations for an oil and gas major.She is multicultural, knowledgeable of D&I best practices and resources, a big supporter of women, women of color, working moms, Latino com-munities and LGTBQ+. Working in a fast-paced operations environment and interacting with people from different cultures developed her passion for in-clusion in the corporate environment. Consuegra co-founded the Energy Diversity and Inclusion Council, where she served as the executive director. In addition, she successfully transi-tioned from the oil and gas industry to renewable energy, a change she wanted to make because she believes in the im-portance of delivering a cleaner future for the next generations. Currently, she is head of DEI at EDP Renewables. “Diversity is our reality, inclusion should be our intent, belonging is the way and equity will be the outcome.”

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20Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comFEATUREAs executive vice president of the oileld services business at Baker Hughes, Maria Claudia Borras may be facing the biggest challenge of her career.Her company, among the rst in the oil and gas industry to commit to signicantly reducing carbon emissions produced by nding, processing and using hydrocarbons, is also among the premier brands in the oileld service industry. The balance she needs to strike is a tricky one: Enabling her traditional oil and gas customers to deliver more than half of the world’s energy mix for the next couple of decades, while simultaneously transitioning to safer, more efcient and less carbon-intensive energy sources. Through this period of demand for more energy, less carbon, Borras must lead the 26,000 employees of the $10.1 billion business through a time that’s challeng-ing, inspiring – and possibly transforming.Thirty years after earning a degree in petroleum en-gineering from the Universidad de América, Bogotá, Colombia, Borras’ professional story indicates she’s ready for the test.She began her career in 1991 as a production engi-neer for Esso in Bogotá and joined Baker Hughes in 2003. Except for a few years with GE Oil & Gas before the two companies merged in 2017, Borras has been with the company ever since, leading opera-tions, marketing and management teams through the industry’s ups and downs. In addition to her current role at Baker Hughes, she brings her recognized business and oileld acumen to the boards of direc-tors of Tyson Foods and ADNOC Drilling.Right now, though, Borras is keenly focused on suc-cessfully balancing her core business in oil and gas with what Baker Hughes calls the “waves of change” that comprise the “energy reinven-tion.” The goal is two-fold: Continuing to help her customers meet their current goals as they also strive to meet net zero targets and making sure that Oileld Services itself is meeting its own net zero targets. Underpinning everything, she says, is a dual challenge. “We must increase access to energy for the world and at the same time, decrease carbon emissions.”She knows that meeting those goals won’t be easy. Evolution Before Revolution in Emissions Borras calls the reduction and eventual elimination of carbon emissions “the greatest challenge that we are fac-ing in the world.” In her view, any discussion on this topic has to be prefaced by acknowledging a few fundamentals. Chief among them is the recognition that, “Without a major acceleration of technologi-cal development in our industry, we are not going to meet the net zero target.”The key to success, she says, is using technology to make oileld operations more efcient and predictable, so that execution is right the rst time and assets perform at peak productivity.“The world is at the beginning of an energy transition that will change our business forever – for the better.”

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21Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comFEATUREContinued on next page...One way the business is improving the efciency and predictability of its own op-erations is by reimagining its approach to digital and data. The oil industry is certain-ly no stranger to big data, having managed vast amounts of it to model reservoirs and make engineering calculations. But because the oil industry has been siloed for most of its his-tory, it was only natural for dig-ital development to occur in the same fashion. Last year, recognizing that the results of siloed development have been less than stellar, Borras restructured the Oileld Services digital organiza-tion, creating a single, global, multi-disciplinary team of domain experts, software engineers and data scientists.“We knew digital had a lot of promise, but we also knew that it wasn’t achieving its full potential, either for our cus-tomers or for ourselves,” she says. “The change we’re driv-ing today is about better, more predictable outcomes – helping our customers make quicker decisions and optimizing capital allocation, for example. We’re enabling these outcomes with a focused, disciplined digital team that inte-grates our vast experience in eld opera-tions and technical software.”The bet, she says, is that customers will want to work with partners who are able to provide reliable and accurate digital experiences in data management, advanced analytics, automation, remote operations and change management.So far, that bet has paid off. In 2019, for example, just 50 percent of the wells drilled by Baker Hughes were drilled remotely; today, that percentage is an astounding 90 percent, delivering safer, faster and more efcient operations through the process.This holistic, modern approach to digital has also led to a successful deployment of Oileld Services’ remote digital technol-ogy across Saudi Aramco’s entire drilling eet, encompassing more than 200 sites. “This remote operations deployment, the largest in Baker Hughes’ history, is a strong example of how we are investing for growth with customers…who are driv-ing digital transformation at a rapid pace,” says Borras.Another digital experience that is trans-forming operations is automation. Since instituting closed-loop directional drilling automation in China, Baker Hughes has improved the average rate of penetration by 35 percent. The company also delivered similar performance improvements when applying advanced automated reservoir navigation services in the North Sea.Directional drilling isn’t the only applica-tion benetting from automation. An automated pipe-tripping advisor has been used to safely run more than seven million feet of pipe in and out of wells to elimi-nate an average of 10 percent invisible lost time from these operations. In addition to these efciency gains, auto-mation deployments in areas such as drill-ing uids and well production are allowing subject matter experts to eliminate many redundant tasks related to monitoring performance and to focus instead on op-timizing performance. These automation deployments also make many operations more predictable by minimizing the risk of human error in many critical tasks.Borras says the focus must be on building digital and technology capabilities that sup-port transformation, but also position the business to explore new energy markets, such as hydrogen, geothermal, and carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS). Latin America Offers Opportunities During the Energy TransitionAn interesting proving ground for these new energy markets is Latin America – a place where Borras grew up and one she knows a lot about. “Latin America is one of those places that gives you the oppor-tunity to consider risks and tackle them by bringing great talent and technology together,” she says.She’s quick to point out the diversity of each country, the abundance of natural resources, and the overall potential for the energy sector. “Every country is looking for its space in the energy transition. Of course, renewable energy is probably more relevant in certain Latin American countries than others, so we approach each country differently – and we have amazing talent to deploy across the region as it’s needed.”Oileld Services remote digital technology across Saudi Aramco’s entire drilling eet, encompassing more than 200 sites, was the largest in Baker Hughes’ history. Photos courtesy of Baker Hughes.

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22Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comCiting countries like Brazil and Mexico, Borras calls Latin America a very complex market, necessitating more innovative so-lutions. “This is a region that also gives us the opportunity to deploy new technolo-gies,” she says, noting a recent milestone with the company’s latest advanced rotary steering system in Brazil.But technology is only part of the solution; equally important is the talent behind it. The Workforce of the Future As Borras considers the changing face of her business, one of the transformations she’s proudest of is the growing numbers of minorities in the industry and within Baker Hughes. Today, for example, women account for almost 20 percent of the 56,000-strong Baker Hughes workforce and represent 20 twenty percent of its senior leaders.“We have made a conscious effort to make sure that, as we hire people, women are well represented in the candidate pool,” Borras says. “But beyond simply hiring women, we know that we have to develop them. We have to give them opportunities to show their talents, take on challenges, deliver results. That’s how they have the best chance for a rewarding career, wheth-er it’s reaching executive ranks or contrib-uting on an individual basis.”She says the company spends time under-standing what its female employees want to do with their careers, determining what skill sets they need to develop in order to achieve those goals, and what type of support they want from the company. She notes the importance of building internal and external networks.“Baker Hughes is 100 percent committed to providing opportunities for women,” she asserts, “but we also expect to see these women commit to their own growth. The conversation cannot be one-way.” She says that this mindful, two-way approach leads to good conversations and the dis-covery of effective ways to coach women to reach their goals. “I think our story as a company is at-tractive for women right now,” she says. “First, we offer an opportunity to work on meaningful technical challenges that make a difference in the world. Second, there’s an appealing business side for those who are interested in positioning a company for growth, developing commercial models and applying skills in new markets. There are just so many opportunities and paths to take.”If a recent New York Times article is ac-curate, Borras must also contend with a diminishing crop of talented petroleum engineers – both women and men. She recalls a time a few decades ago when the industry faced a shortage of petroleum engineers and turned to mechanical, indus-trial and other types of engineers to meet the demand.She acknowledges that the overall number of petroleum engineers will likely decline as the energy transition takes hold, but feels strongly that the discipline itself pro-22Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comFEATUREBorras answers questions from eld employees in Saudi Arabia with Jose Noguera, Baker Hughes regional product line leader. (2019) En route by helicopter to customer sites in Kuwait, Borras gives an all-clear with Tayo Akinokun, regional vice president of Middle East, Northern Africa and India for Oileld Services at Baker Hughes. (2019)

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✓ A new skill or talent I learned during COVID-19 was…I am always working on being more patient! ✓ A goal I set for myself during COVID-19 was…to communicate, communicate, communicate. ✓ Currently, the books I’m reading are…about jewelry concepts and technology. It might sound boring, but not to me! ✓ Programs or shows I never miss watching…I always try to catch the world news. ✓ The rst place I plan to go when it’s safe to travel is…I am looking forward to reconnecting with my team around the world, starting in the Middle East. ✓ What I miss most about my home country is…I am fortunate that I can visit Colombia quite frequently. ✓ If I had not joined the oil and gas industry, I might have…pursued architecture. I like design and complex projects. ✓ Something about me that would surprise people is…I relax by creating jewelry. ✓ The person [living or historical gure] I would most like to meet and have a conversation with is…Leonardo da Vinci. He was both an artist and an engineer. 23Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comFEATUREvides unique value that can be deployed in new markets. “Students trained in petroleum engineering often have a global perspective, as well as the ability to manage risk and handle complex projects. They are trained to run a business, which is unlike most other technical disciplines. These skills are the same ones we will need in the future to work in other energy sectors related to oil and gas, such as geothermal, subsurface gas storage, carbon sequestration and water wells.” “In those domains, it’s still going to be critical to understand the reservoir,” Borras points out. “And no one understands reservoirs better than petroleum engineers.”Crisis Management Through CommunicationGiven recent events, it may seem that no training – engineering or otherwise – could have prepared us for a pandemic and its devastating effects. In Borras’ world, the pandemic was exacerbated by the worst downturn in the history of the oileld.“The early months of the pandemic were a very intense period. The virus, coupled with the dramatic drop in demand and negative oil prices, produced a black swan event,” she says. “Yet the experience was invaluable. We didn’t know what we were capable of until we were facing this crisis. It forced us to react quickly; we had to make decisions on the spot and trust that they were the right ones. I think this situation gave us an unprec-edented opportunity to drive speed, to drive communi-cation, to drive teamwork and to execute quickly.”Looking back at the complexity of the circumstances in 2020, she is in awe of what the company was able to accomplish collectively. “We have experienced downturns before, but this was something the team had never even thought of! Compared to our actions in other downturns, the results we got this time were probably some of our best.”Her biggest takeaway from the crisis – that you can never over-communicate – continues to serve her well as she navigates a new era for her business.And that new era is coming fast.“The world is at the beginning of an energy transition that will change our business forever – for the better,” Borras says. “No doubt, it’s going to be challenging. But on many levels, it’s going to be inspiring and transfor-mative. As long as we remember that our goal is to bring energy from any source to the planet, I’m optimistic about the future.”For more on how Baker Hughes is approaching the energy transition, see The Coming Transition: a blueprint for navigating the next 30 years in the energy industry. Maria Claudia Borras participates in a panel discussion at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in June 2021. The discussion focused on promoting gender parity to advance sustainable development and increase industry protability. (All COVID protocols were followed.) Borras shares her career journey and on-the-job experience with female Saudi engineers. The conversation centered around career development opportunities and challenges in the workplace. (2019)

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UpstreamEXPLORATION & PRODUCTIONDiscovery & production of oil and natural gas.MidstreamENERGY INFRASTRUCTURETransportation of oil and gas via pipes and storage of excess.DownstreamENERGY INFRASTRUCTUREMarketing and distribution of rened oil and gas to end users.OssyIntl.com · (832) 866-5425 · info@OssyIntl.com Phoenix360DOT.com · (281) 591-4728 · info@Phoenix360DOT.comTWO COMPANIES, TWO WOMEN, ONE VISION BREAK THE MOLD AND MAKE IT BETTERDISCOVER A NEW LEVEL OF RECRUITING & STAFFING. TOP TIER TALENT ACQUISITION. Ossy International promises to help build a better, more productive future for talented job candidates in the oil and gas sector as well as its potential employers through its safety-embraced recruiting practices. We provide the same principles in our workforce solutions as we do within our rm: Do your best, work with integrity, and always work safely. We deliver talented professionals to every job, coupled with advanced systems, unparalleled service, and rigorous compliance adherence.We help companies and independent owner operators successfully establish their identity in the DOT world and educate them on the DOT regulations established to protect the general public, roadways, and drivers. We lead, we teach, we care for your roadway success. • Federal & State Licensing• DOT Permits• Compliance & Managed Services• DOT ConsultingA NAME. A NUMBER. A PURPOSE.Shecky Ray Ossy International, Inc. and TurtleCares.Org FounderJoAnna McCune Phoenix360 President, FounderTwo unique women who crossed paths, shared ideas, and proceeded to make them happen. Together, they are breaking barriers where companies, the workforce, and women-owned business can overcome hurdles professionally and eciently to help establish a long-tenured workforce and safer workplaces. Ossy International, Inc. and Phoenix360 are building the picture of success for their customers.

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UpstreamEXPLORATION & PRODUCTIONDiscovery & production of oil and natural gas.MidstreamENERGY INFRASTRUCTURETransportation of oil and gas via pipes and storage of excess.DownstreamENERGY INFRASTRUCTUREMarketing and distribution of rened oil and gas to end users.OssyIntl.com · (832) 866-5425 · info@OssyIntl.com Phoenix360DOT.com · (281) 591-4728 · info@Phoenix360DOT.comTWO COMPANIES, TWO WOMEN, ONE VISION BREAK THE MOLD AND MAKE IT BETTERDISCOVER A NEW LEVEL OF RECRUITING & STAFFING. TOP TIER TALENT ACQUISITION. Ossy International promises to help build a better, more productive future for talented job candidates in the oil and gas sector as well as its potential employers through its safety-embraced recruiting practices. We provide the same principles in our workforce solutions as we do within our rm: Do your best, work with integrity, and always work safely. We deliver talented professionals to every job, coupled with advanced systems, unparalleled service, and rigorous compliance adherence.We help companies and independent owner operators successfully establish their identity in the DOT world and educate them on the DOT regulations established to protect the general public, roadways, and drivers. We lead, we teach, we care for your roadway success. • Federal & State Licensing• DOT Permits• Compliance & Managed Services• DOT ConsultingA NAME. A NUMBER. A PURPOSE.Shecky Ray Ossy International, Inc. and TurtleCares.Org FounderJoAnna McCune Phoenix360 President, FounderTwo unique women who crossed paths, shared ideas, and proceeded to make them happen. Together, they are breaking barriers where companies, the workforce, and women-owned business can overcome hurdles professionally and eciently to help establish a long-tenured workforce and safer workplaces. Ossy International, Inc. and Phoenix360 are building the picture of success for their customers.

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26Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comNEXTGEN | YOUNG PROFESSIONALIlyani Sanchez, Warehouse Supervisor By Alan AlexeyevAlan Alexeyev: Tell us a little bit about your current (or latest) position and what you do, as well as how you found a job.Ilyani Sanchez: I’m currently working as a warehouse supervisor for one of the world’s largest manufacturers of well-head, surface and ow control products. In this leadership position, I am responsi-ble for managing the warehouse activities (receiving goods, storage and shipping materials), the personnel and the inventory, as well as ordering materials and supplies for the operations of the business.I started with the company in 2013 as an intern in Venezuela when I received my degree as an industrial engineer. Later that year, they employed me as a plan-ner and, over the next few years, I worked in several areas, including materials, production, warehousing, quality and engineering. Each experi-ence gave me the opportunity to acquire more knowledge from the company and my coworkers and develop my expertise. When the oileld downturn happened in 2016, I left the company for a brief period of time, and then came back to work for the same company. I was trans-ferred to Veracruz, Mexico, in 2017 and promoted to master scheduler, responsi-ble for providing lead time proposals for customers throughout North America. I was promoted to warehouse supervisor in August 2018, and transferred to the company’s warehouse in Odessa, Texas.AA: What inspired you to start a career in the oil and gas industry?IS: I’ve always had a strong identica-tion with the materials environment and, when I started working with materials, I decided I wanted to pursue my career in that area. I am very interested in the equipment and technology involved in producing oil and gas.AA: How valuable was it to have the university experience and has it helped you in the workplace where you meet people with diverse backgrounds? IS: University experience is very valuable because it helps you add context to what you learn on the job. The workplace then allows you to expand upon the knowl-edge you received at the university. An academic and professional career can be seen as different sides of the same coin, and the interactions you have in both environments help you to grow and develop your career. Working for a global company demands that you can lead and collaborate successfully with people from diverse backgrounds.AA: What was your experience like transitioning from the academic envi-ronment to the industry? What would you tell people who are about to make such a transition?IS: That transition from university to the corporate setting is very demanding be-cause it requires you to put into practice what you learned in academia and in your industry training. I would recommend that you give your best and keep your mind open to learning anything new. I believe it is important to continuously challenge what you learned – that’s how you innovate – and also surround your-self with people who are willing to share their knowledge and industry experiences and become your allies. Building relation-ships with people you can learn from, and then helping others learn and grow, are very important both professionally and personally.AA: Has the industry taken initiatives to help young professionals transition smoothly into the oil sector? What, if anything, could be done better?IS: I do think the industry does a good job; they denitely see the value that young professionals add to the work-place. If anything, I would suggest that the industry provide young professionals with more opportunities for face-to-face introductory training, so they know what to expect in the oil and gas environment, which is very unpredictable and fast-paced. It would also be good to create support groups with experienced profes-sionals who can provide help and guid-ance through the ups and downs.

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27Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comNEXTGEN | YOUNG PROFESSIONALAA: The oil and gas industry has lots of conferences and events. Have you attended any of them? If so, how use-ful do you find them and what’s your takeaway?IS: I have attended some conferences and events related to petroleum and inventory management. I nd them very interesting as a way to keep up with the latest trends in the industry, as well as technology updates. They are also helpful to create and develop connections with possible future vendors, suppliers and customers. Anything that enables you to stay on the leading edge and expand your network is valuable.AA: What advice would you give college students who have an interest in the oil and gas sector? Should they pursue a career in the industry during these constant downturns?IS: I think this industry always pays back even throughout the constant down-turns. Working in the oil and gas industry prepares people for a wide range of opportunities, if you learn to extrapolate the knowledge and your experience to apply it within the energy eld or other industries. I can speak from personal ex-perience: When I left the oileld [during] the 2016 downturn, I went to work in the food industry for a couple of months. I have to admit, it was very challenging to learn such a new and different business model but, at the same time, they also beneted from the skills I [had] gained from the oileld, like working under pressure and having the exibility and ability to adapt to changes. Change is a common factor in any industry. I re-turned to my previous employer because I enjoy the challenges of the dynamic oil and gas industry. I still believe that it is an excellent eld in which to grow your career, with many opportunities to make professional contributions.AA: Based on your experience so far, what are the technical skills you think will be needed for the industry in the near term?IS: With the technology era more present than ever, technical skills become more critical every day. It is very important to maintain high prociency with the soft-ware that is being used for management in the industry, such as Microsoft Of-ce 365® tools and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, and this goes together with strong project management skills. In the oil and gas industry, there is a lot of integration between different divisions and areas that are all working together with the single goal of produc-ing oil, so you must understand how to use and optimize the tools that facilitate workow, the supply chain and all the steps and parts involved in oileld ser-vices operations.AA: What would you like to learn in the near future from experienced people who are in their mid-to-late careers?IS: I would like to learn how to grow my managerial and leadership skills to man-age bigger teams at higher levels in the industry. Breaking the Gas Ceiling: Women in the Offshore Oil & Gas Industry by Rebecca Ponton | Foreword by Marie-José NadeauThe international petroleum industry has long been known the world over as a “good old boys' club” and nowhere is the oil and gas industry's gender imbalance more apparent than offshore. The untold story, shared in these pages, is about the women who have been among the rst to inhabit this world, and whose stories previously have been a missing part of the history of the industry.Available from www.breakingthegasceiling.com or on Amazon “As a CEO, I believe it is imperative for today’s generation of young women to realize there is a seat for them in the boards of oil & gas companies as the “gas ceiling” can be broken quicker and easier than before. Reading this book, they will think about these women who have gone before them and broken down those barriers in order to give them new opportunities.-- Maria Moræus Hanssen, CEO, DEA Deutsche Erdoel AG“My belief is that diversity is key to both creativity and solid long-term business results. Even in a country like Norway, where professional gender diversity is greater than in any other country I have had interactions with, we have an underrepresentation of women in top management positions. I would therefore like to express my appreciation to Rebecca Ponton for keeping this important subject on the agenda by presenting to us positive, impressive and, at the same time, obtainable role models.-- Grethe K. Moen, CEO & President, Petoro AS“Everyone needs role models – and role models that look like you are even better. For women, the oil and gas industry has historically been pretty thin on role models for young women to look up to. Rebecca Ponton has provided an outstanding compilation of role models for all women who aspire to success in one of the most important industries of modern times.-- Dave Payne, Chevron VP Drilling & Completions“Rebecca Ponton has captured the compelling stories of many women, both the early pathnders in the oil and gas industry and new entrants. Through these stories, it is very satisfying to now see that the industry has matured to be a place where anyone – man or woman – who commits themselves to high performance can succeed. No doubt we are all the beneciaries of these intrepid women who have dened themselves by their work ethic and commitment.-- Greta Lydecker, Managing Director, Chevron Upstream Europe

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28Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comHONORARY OILWOMANJames E. Campos Gets Real about the Need for Women to be at the Forefront of the Industry’s Evolution By JJ LoveFormer United States Department of Energy Director and Assistant Secretary, the Honorable James E. Campos, is pav-ing the way for equality and evolution within the energy sector and beyond. While serving as director under Presi-dent Trump in the Ofce of Minority Economic Impact for the Department of Energy (DOE), he began the Equity in Energy initiative with powerful women at his right hand. The initiative is de-signed to include and invite individuals in our communities, including minorities, Native Americans, women, children, veterans and formerly incarcer-ated persons, in all the programs of the DOE. The program includes several sub-pillars including Women in Energy, advo-cating to amplify women’s voices and support their roles in leadership. Campos recognizes that women play an integral part in the foundation of a healthy society, and to be successful we must cultivate the opinions and abilities of our female citizens, not dismiss or inhibit them. Campos is an energy ally for the people and the environment and understands the importance of awareness when it comes to the methods we use as the in-dustry evolves. Every project potentially can cause both benecial and adverse effects. For example, a plan that brings solar energy to a grid and helps the envi-ronment can, in turn, cause prices to rise and prohibit low-income families from purchasing the en-ergy. It is imperative to be aware of these types of unintended consequences and prevent them when possible, and Campos is making sure this is under-stood. Throughout his career he has been a voice for those who have been underserved and overlooked and aims to ensure that any progress made does not harm already struggling communities. “We all seek a clean and healthy environ-ment that won’t be polluted by our en-ergy production sources,” he says. “We need to really look at the unintended effects that are just as important to our lives as the pollutants themselves.”We must ensure that as we are nding solutions to one problem, we are not having an abrupt and traumatic effect on another. When we look at the picture from every angle it is easy to see that the answer is not to shut down industries like oil and gas. While they may create pol-lution, they are also providing medicine, employment and assets beyond measure that provide for the quality of life and well-being of our nation. “People don’t understand what petro-chemicals do for us; they only under-stand the negative aspects,” Campos says. “While it is important to further advance green alternatives, doing so in a way that augments and integrates with our current system is what will allow for gradual evolution over time.” He is adamant about increasing the aware-ness as to why our oil and gas industry is essential and inspires people to think of ways to make the industry more efcient, rather than try to replace it altogether at this time. “National security comes down to our stability and viability as a country to survive.” As it stands, the oil industry is absolutely necessary to that national security. Over time he is condent we will evolve into newer resources, but we can’t expect to do it overnight. There would be a ripple effect that would cause trauma to the way our

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29Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comHONORARY OILWOMANlives are currently lived in a multitude of unimaginable ways.“Historically, energy has been a slow evolutionary process in its development. From the use of sperm whales for lan-terns, and coal for heating and electric generation, to oil and gas for transpor-tation. This progress evolved over the course of a century, and now the United States, and the world, are yet again expe-riencing another stage of development in mass energy production but this time it’s more revolutionary than evolution-ary. We are currently looking at different forms of energy, a renaissance of sorts, a tapestry mix of different cleaner en-ergy sources to the grid from micro nu-clear reactors, geo-thermal, solar, wind, hydrogen and oceanic sources, to name a few,” he explains. “However, as we as a nation search for cleaner sources of energy, we must also keep in mind the various consequences of energy sources on our society, not just climate change. While the issue of climate change is very important, we need a balanced ‘all of the above’ energy strategy approach that utilizes existing proven energy sources while advancing other sources, without causing major disruptions to the overall well-being of our most vulnerable com-munities,” he asserts. When it comes to policy, Campos is sensitive to the delicate balance that’s needed when it comes to innovation and humanity. That sensitivity is well balanced with a pragmatic and unrelent-ing passion to create energy initiatives that will have a benecial impact for our environment, without harming our economy. He is adamant that new clean energy initiatives must not only provide equal opportunities, but equal benets and accessibility to our communities across the board. He is asking the tough questions and addressing this dilemma head-on. Campos has the resilience and determination to ensure that, as prog-ress is being made, we are not forgetting about the people. Speaking of the people, Campos reminds us of some low hanging fruit in our future workforce by recognizing the need to inspire our youth, young women in particular, to get into STEM. “When a little boy plays with Legos we think, ‘Oh, he’ll be an architect,’ and we support that with resources to cultivate it. When a little girl plays with a doll or kitchen set, right away many of us think of her as a homemaker, which is an in-credibly valuable job indeed, but maybe she could be a doctor or biophysicist? If she likes baking, that could make her a chef, or it could make her a chemist. It is up to us to provide her with the appro-priate resources to make that choice for herself. We are encouraging involvement in industries that have traditionally been male dominated due to outdated societal beliefs. Many of these beliefs were/are established during childhood and taken into adulthood.”“Women now account for 50 percent of new college students, and most of them are going into sociology and psychology. Valuable minds are being lost to other elds between ages 3-8, because the programs in place don’t focus them on STEM as much as they should,” Cam-pos explains. “It’s during childhood that a person is taught what they are capable of and the seeds for our future are planted. We must ensure that STEM re-sources are available and encouraged for all of our children from an early age.” Campos has already made enormous ef-forts in this direction, with investments like the state-of-the-art Weiss Energy Hall exhibit at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. The installment is geared toward generating children’s engagement in the future of our energy industry using immersive virtual reality and state of the art visuals. Having as many minds as possible inspired and equipped to create augmentations for our current systems is vital for progress as a whole.“We need smart, sustainable and com-passionate energy policies that do not further hurt our communities, and at the same time help keep Americans employed and our economy ourishing. The psychological and physical impact from lack of resources can be equally as devastating as the pollutants that we are currently focused on.” At a time when our country is forging new systems and initiating new proto-cols, it is paramount that we take into consideration the most inclusive and benecial structure to advance humanity and our environment as a whole. Energy is essential and access to it should not be limited or dened by income, gender or race. While this cause is at the forefront of Campos’ efforts now, his mindset mirrors that of some of our greatest leaders and his movement toward educa-tion, equality and advancement for all is at its dawn. He has already been awarded accolades like the Professional Service Award and the Most Inuential Hispan-ics in Business Award. It is a rare occa-sion when we see representatives that intrinsically care about humanity and its evolution, which is why voices like James E. Campos’ are appreciated and neces-sary components for our nation, and our planet, to advance with integrity. JJ Love is a writer out of Houston, Texas, that is part of a token journal-ism movement adamant about bringing integrity back to our media and news outlets. Her advocacy toward “techism” and the evolution of our species as a whole is the primary focus throughout her work. As tech and humanity come together, her stories outline what is already happening, who is doing it and what could be next.

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30Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comSHE’S GOT THE POWERThe Texas Grid Blackouts of 2021 By Claudia MelatiniTexans are used to sweltering in 100-de-gree summer weather. What they’re not accustomed to are freezing tempera-tures, snow on the ground and loss of electricity leaving them without heat. In February of 2021, the state of Texas experienced a shocking power crisis, the result of three winter storms, which left residents without power, water and food. More than 4.5 million homes were affected and approximately 210 people died directly or indirectly. Ad-ditionally, over $195 billion in property damage was caused by the blackouts. While Texas utilities are equipped to handle high temperatures, the major-ity aren’t weatherized for extreme cold events. In July, the University of Texas at Austin (UT) Energy Institute released a report written by 12 POWER Com-mittee co-chairs, including two women, Hao Zhu, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, and Ning Lin, PhD, with the Bureau of Economic Geology, which is the Texas State Geological Sur-vey and the second largest research unit of UT-Austin, regarding the blackouts and their causes. The ndings are intended to provide consumers and the general public with insights into why the grid failure occurred and identify weaknesses in the system that need to be addressed; however, the Energy Institute site specically states the report “does not recommend policies or solutions.”ERCOT, Texas’ Independent En-ergy System OperatorThe state of Texas is the United States’ leading consumer of electricity and natural gas consumption. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, known as ERCOT, provides the majority of the state’s consumers with electricity through an intra-state grid. According to the UT report, the 2021 storm did not set records for the lowest recorded temperature in many parts of the state; however, it did cause outages and loss of electricity service to Texas customers several times more severe than the win-ter events leading to service disruptions in December 1989 and February 2011. ERCOT creates a “Seasonal Assess-ment of Resource Adequacy” (SARA) for each season, which estimates the availability of energy reserves, in order to avoid emergency scenarios, and is based on historical winter outage data compiled from prior years. The winter 2020 – 2021 SARA revealed a decit in reserve capacity, a level that ER-COT indicates is at risk of emergency alert actions.Winter Storm UriBy the end of January, ERCOT’s meteorologist met with local planning groups to discuss a potential February cold weather event. Starting February 8, 2021, weather models began to show an oncoming troubling weather event for the ERCOT service region. Weather models across the state differed in temperature by as much as 10 degrees until February 13th. According to the National Weather Service in Houston/Galveston, a cold front moved in on February 10th, followed by a winter weather advisory on February 11th, which was upgraded to a winter storm watch on February 12th. That same day, Texas Governor Gregg Abbott declared a state of emergency due to the severity of the winter storm. The majority of outages – from fro-zen equipment to condensate systems that caused more capacity to go ofine – were weather-related. The second largest category was existing outages, including scheduled and planned out-ages (the majority from coal and natural gas powered plants). Fuel limitations accounted for the fourth-most capacity outages, with issues increasing as the event continued. By the evening of February 14th, the entire state of Texas was under a winter storm watch and a hard freeze warn-ing. ERCOT issued a “First Operating Conditions Notice” a week prior to the rst blackouts, warning consumers to review fuel supplies, preserve fuel and implement winterization efforts.Assistant professor Dr. Hao Zhu, one of the co-authors of the report, found out about the blackout when she woke up on the morning of the 15th. “I had been closely monitoring the ERCOT supply and demand curves on their webpage since Sunday afternoon. The Left: Hao Zhu, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. Right: Ning Lin, PhD, with the Bureau of Economic Geology, which is the Texas State Geological Survey and the second largest research unit of UT-Austin.

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31Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comSHE’S GOT THE POWERgrid was stressed, but I didn’t expect that a third of Texans would lose power when I woke up Monday morn-ing. My family was one of the lucky homes who had power in Austin, so we were preparing for rolling outages by going through our food and keeping our phones charged.” No Single CauseNumerous factors resulted in the grid blackout. The UT study states that all types of power plants (natural gas-red, coal, nuclear reactors, wind generators and solar generation facilities) failed to operate at expected capacity. Genera-tor outages were higher than ERCOT’s “Forecasted Season Peak Load.” Grid conditions deteriorated rapidly starting on February 14th, leading to the black-outs. Natural gas failures began prior to any electrical outages, and exacer-bated electricity problems. Additionally, weather forecasts failed to indicate the severity of the storm. ERCOT’s most extreme winter scenario underestimated demand relative to what happened by approximately 14 percent. As Dr. Ning Lin explains, “It is a complicated energy system that in-terconnects, so when a storm like Uri happens, it sets [in motion] chain reactions throughout the system. Many technologies and value chains faced challenges and did fail in generating or performing service as a result. To improve resilience and prevent future disruptions, we need to identify areas for improvements as parts of an inte-grated system, not simply blaming one sector or another.”“It is important to look at the complete picture,” Lin stresses. “One could see that natural gas had a signicant outage during the week of the 15th – 18th, but natural gas almost doubled from its normal winter demand. It backlled for wind and solar for a week before drop-ping on the 15th.”Despite the loss of nearly half of its generation capacity, the ERCOT system operator managed to avoid a catastrophic failure of the entire grid. Zhu found surprising results within the report. “Some critical natural gas infrastructure has enrolled in ER-COT’S emergency response service (ERS) program, and some of these locations were disconnected from power on February 15th. As critical infrastructure, its electricity connec-tion should have been maintained even during this emergency situation.” Preparing for the Next WinterPresident Biden declared a state of emergency in Texas on February 14, 2021, due to winter storm Uri. The Department of Homeland Security and FEMA were authorized to send aid, including 60 generators, as well as water and blankets to the state. Churches and relief centers opened their doors to those affected by the storm. In order to prepare for the oncoming winter, a package of bills was passed in March 2021 by the Texas State Legisla-ture. Designed to prevent future power outage in extreme temperatures, the bills provide a guideline for regulators to design around. The Texas Supply Chain Security and Mapping Com-mittee is required to prioritize energy needs during extreme weather events. Additionally, in May 2021, bills were passed to overhaul the state’s power grid, including requiring power plants to weatherize, and institute an emer-gency alert system and loan plan for its power companies. To read the full report, go to https://energy.utexas.edu/ercot-blackout-2021.Claudia Melatini has been a content market-ing writer in the private wealth, FinTech, and energy and renewables spaces for over 15 years. She has written for American Funds, Capital Group, LPL, RBC Wealth Manage-ment, Living Lela, Petnovations and more. Visit www.thepowerfulpage.com. ADVERTISE WITH US!Are you looking to expand your reach in the oil and gas marketplace? Do you have a product or service that would benefit the industry? If so, we would like to speak with you!CALL US (800) 562-2340 EX. 1 We have a creative team that can design your ad! OilwomanMagazine.com/advertise • Advertising@OilmanMagazine.com

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32Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comBOOKSHELFGaslighted: How the Oil and Gas Industry Shortchanges Women By Christine WilliamsWomen geoscientists in the oil and gas industry make up a tiny number of elite professionals. They are privileged on every dimension – race, education, income – except for gender. But despite their rarity, I believe that their experi-ences can illuminate why equality in the corporate world remains an elusive goal. An industry that only admits women who are white, and then targets them for layoffs, will not make progress achieving di-versity. In the cyclical oil and gas industry, disproportionately laying off the women means that compa-nies can revert to vir-tually all-white male bastions after every downturn. As layoffs become an ever more accepted and normal business practice throughout the economy, this form of discrimination will spread unless new rules are implemented to prevent it. To reach this conclusion, I have used almost every tool in the sociologists’ toolbox. I conducted almost one hun-dred in-depth interviews. Working with my colleague Chandra Muller, I helped design and administer a longitudinal survey of the multi-national oil and gas company that we call “GOG,” or Global Oil and Gas (not its real name). I attended conferences and network-ing events around the country. I visited geoscientists at work in some of the world’s largest oil and gas companies. I have been an invited speaker at the industry-sponsored Women’s Global Leadership Conference, and at the professional meetings of petroleum geologists and geophysicists, where I have shared my ndings and received feedback along the way. Looking back at my work over the de-cade, it fascinates me that the answer to the question “Where are the women?” eluded me. Even some of the PROW-ESS women had been laid off previously in their careers. Why couldn’t I see what was plainly in front of me from the very beginning? From my vantage point today, I feel like I was gas-lighted. Gaslighting is usually understood to be a form of psychologi-cal manipulation and emotional abuse in intimate relationships. The term comes from the name of a classic lm in which a man convinces his wife to question real-ity and her own sanity. In this book, I argue that organizations can also engage in gaslighting. Organizational gaslight-ing is when companies intentionally deny the facts and blame others for the problems they generate. Corporations attempt to puff up their own image while denying evidence of their malfea-sance, enabling them to escape culpa-bility for the systemic inequalities they produce. For instance, they commonly use these tactics to make it appear that they support diversity: • State a commitment to diversity in their mission statements. • Feature images of men and women from different racial/ethnic back-grounds in publicity and advertise-ments.• Donate money to organizations or programs promoting equality that do not interfere with or challenge their normal business operations. • Implement diversity programs, such as unconscious bias training, that do not alter the composition of the workforce. The white male–dominated oil and gas industry does all of these things. Companies claim that they value diver-sity, but the employment policies they implement to achieve greater diversity do not disrupt the systemic sexism and racism, and other forms of social in-equality, that are built into their organi-zations. Instead, they attempt to throw critics off the scent. This is the essence of organizational gaslighting. One of the goals of this book is to understand why I was misled and to encourage oth-ers to recognize organizational gaslight-ing when it happens to them. Excerpt from Gaslighted: How the Oil and Gas Industry Shortchanges Women, by Christine Williams (University of Cali-fornia Press, 2021). Dr. Christine Williams is a professor of sociology and the Elsie and Stan-ley E. (Skinny) Adams, Sr. Centennial Profes-sor in Liberal Arts at The University of Texas at Austin. Her research and teaching focus on gender and work-place issues. Williams would like to acknowledge the support of the Pro-fessional Women in Earth Sciences (PROWESS) group of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG). Faculty website: https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/sociology/faculty/clwilliaLink to book: https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520385283/gaslighted

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34Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comENERGY NEIGHBORSpotlight on Mexico By Angela LevyMexico, the United States’ neighbor to the south, has been undergoing its own energy transition over the past few years with its current president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (known as AMLO) reversing many of the energy policies of his predecessor, Enrique Peña Nieto, who during his term in of-ce (2012-18) signed into law Mexico’s constitutional energy reform, allowing private and foreign investment in the sector. Upon taking ofce in December 2018, AMLO appointed eight men and eight women to his cabinet, includ-ing Secretary of Energy Rocío Nahle, a petrochemical engineer, who spent much of her career at the national oil company, Petróleos Mexicanos (PE-MEX), where she currently chairs of the board of directors.Angela Levy: What is the current state of the Mexican oil industry, particu-larly as we begin to emerge from the worldwide pandemic? Angélica Ruíz, bp country president, Mexico, SVP LATAM: We are cur-rently in a stage of economic recovery which increases the expected energy demand, and the country has signicant resources to meet it. bp is prepared to participate in this process from Mexico, as it has done for several years. Currently, bp’s activities in the country include more than 500 gas stations, a leading position in the synthetic lubri-cants market and in natural gas trading, liqueed natural gas, natural gas liquids and crude oil, as well as other rened products, including petrochemicals. These activities may contribute to meet-ing energy security and demand.Lourdes Melgar, research afliate at MIT, non-resident fellow at the Baker Institute: President Andrés Manuel López Obrador welcomed the pandemic as an opportunity to accel-erate the “Fourth Transformation of Mexico.” His administration has en-acted legislation to speed up the return to state monopolies, favoring Petróleos Mexicanos (known as PEMEX) and Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE), undermining regulators and blocking private participants through-out the supply chain. The industry dwells in legal uncertainty, as it reas-serts the benets of the energy reform with discoveries. Meanwhile, PEMEX registered incidents at its reneries and in the upstream and was downgraded as it took on more challenges. Oil pro-duction fell year-over-year (YOY) 2.8 percent, reaching a low of 1.605 mmbd in July 2020, climbing back to 1.681 mmbd in July 2021.AL: What are the biggest challenges facing the Mexican oil industry in this new scenario and what are its great-est strengths, its signs of resilience and adaptability? AR: The energy industry in Mexico will have to resume operations quickly, but at the same time it will have to adjust to new public health regulations. This represents administrative challenges, but also a great opportunity, since social isolation helped us to test innovative, technology-based work approaches.Another challenge will be long- and medium-term planning. Different vac-cination rates among countries and variants of COVID-19 may cause new economic closures and a delay of the global economic recovery, which would have an impact on energy demand. LM: In a complex scenario, Mexico’s government has opted for ideology over a technical, pragmatic approach to the oil industry. As PEMEX grabs back spaces and must supply de-mand at low prices, the nancial and managerial strains on the national oil company (NOC) rise. Energy security will become a concern as bottlenecks materialize in the mid and downstream. Violations to the Constitution and to the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) will fuel lawsuits and set diplomatic tensions. Despite politics, Mexico’s geology and invest-ment opportunities remain appealing to companies ready to uphold their pres-Lourdes Melgar is a research afliate at MIT’s Center for Collective Intelligence and a non-resident fellow at the Center of Energy Studies at the Baker Institute. Melgar is the former Mexico deputy secretary for hydrocarbons (2014-16) and undersecretary for electricity (2012-14).Angélica Ruíz started her oil and gas career at Mexicana de Servicios Subacuaticos (MEXSSUB), later working for Petrofac and then the Danish wind energy company, Vestas. She joined bp as country president, Mexico, in March 2018 and was promoted to senior vice-president in mid-2020, adding the LATAM region to her current responsibilities.

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35Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comENERGY NEIGHBORence in the country, while weathering the outcome of negotiations or the end of the current administration.AL: Where is Mexico in the energy transition and what does the future look like with respect to global carbon neutrality or zero carbon emissions? AR: Mexico has great potential in this area, since it has access to fuels like natural gas, which will play a critical role in the energy transition; as well as multiple renewable energy resources such as solar, wind and geothermal, which may contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions.In 2020, bp announced its ambition to become a net zero company by 2050 or sooner and to help the world get there. Our new strategy will see us pivot from being an international oil company focused on producing resources to an integrated energy company focused on delivering solutions for customers. The three areas of focus are:• Increased investment in low carbon electricity and energy. • Redening convenience and mobility – putting customers at the heart of what bp does.• Resilient and focused hydrocarbons – continue to high-grade the port-folio, resulting in signicantly lower and more competitive production and rening throughput.LM: As the world embraces carbon neutrality, Mexico has taken a sharp U-turn. Oil production and rening are keystones of energy policy. The gov-ernment enacted legislation to block re-newable energies and favor fossil fuels. From leading the energy transition, the power sector has become an enabler of PEMEX rening, burning heavy fuel-oil in CFE plants. Methane emissions and gas-aring are on the rise. Mexico will not comply with its nationally de-termined contributions (NDCs). Presi-dent López Obrador sees capping oil production at two mmbd and reducing products imports as adequate contribu-tions. Despite privileged conditions to reduce emissions, Mexico will fall short of expectations, running the risk of facing commercial retaliation.Angela Levy was born in Colombia and became a U.S. citizen in 2012. She is now a dual citizen of the two countries. She holds two master’s degrees, an MBA and another in accounting. Levy worked as a production engineer in Colombia before moving to the U.S., where she worked in the nance and accounting group at Halliburton for a decade. She later worked with special needs children for ve years. Levy now spends her time traveling the western U.S.

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36Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comNORTHEAST U.S. OIL MARKETThe American Shales By Nissa DarbonneMARCELLUS: 2014 We were – all this time – searching for nickels and dimes and we’re sitting here with $100 bills.” -– Bill Zagorski With just a few wells in the Marcellus yet in 2007, Range Resources could see where it was going. It had already begun work on arranging markets to buy the gas and on stripping it of its high value natural gas liquids (NGL) to sell that separately. The U.S. midstream industry of getting gas, NGL and oil to market had already been awakened by the Barnett to new, unrelenting demand for gas transpor-tation infrastructure. The U.S. petro-chemical industry would now get a wake-up call: Unprecedented amounts of gas liquids – ethane, propane, bu-tane and more – were heading its way.Ray Walker says, “We were producing (from the Marcellus) a lot of highly vola-tile condensate –C5-plus type – at the wellhead. I had worked in the Cotton Valley around the Carthage gas produc-ing plant (in East Texas) in the 1990s (at UPR), so I had learned a lot about liquids, how to handle them and what was going to be required in terms of processing, transportation and markets.”“We hired a marketing guy, Greg Davis, who has been one of the absolute key players in Pittsburgh. One of the very rst conversations I had with Greg – probably in February of ‘07 –was, ‘We’ve got to start developing markets for these liquids. We’ve got to gure out what we’re going to do with the ethane and all of the other liquids.’”And for the gas itself. The northeastern U.S. was gas short while user heavy, including by petro-chemical plants. Gas and NGL were imported into the area from the Gulf Coast and elsewhere. Many consumers in the region were anxious for supple-mental dry gas supply from the Rockies via Rockies Express, a newbuild, 1,700 mile pipe of up to 42 inches in diam-eter to Ohio that was completed in November 2009. After Range made its Gulla 9, it could see the Marcellus alone would not only supply the area, but that there would be surplus. For the NGL, it worked with processors, existing pipeline opera-tors and potential buyers, eventually doing deals with a chemical manufac-turer in Sarnia, On-tario, and one with a buyer in Europe; it was negotiating for a third leg that would send the liquids to the Gulf Coast. The Pittsburgh ofce of one – Ray Walker – in January 2007 had grown to some 350 employees by 2014. The company’s market capitalization was now $12 billion. The roughly one mil-lion cubic feet a day the Marcellus was making in early 2007 – all by Range at the time – was now some nine billion a day. It took the title of largest gas eld in North America. Walker says, “And I think it has, by all rights, the real capability in the next 10 or 20 years to be the largest gas pro-ducing basin in the world, when you consider the potential of the underly-ing Utica, the upper Devonian, all the stacked pay. You know, it’s wow!”Excerpted with permission from the author from The American Shales: From Rich Rock, Unconventional Ideas and Unwavering Determination to a Renewed World Energy Future by Nissa Darbonne (CreateSpace; April 2014).Note from the author: After 2007, producers began developing the Haynesville shale, adding onto the growing U.S. natural gas supply that was coming from the Barnett, Fayetteville and Marcellus shales. The NYMEX price was roughly $13 per million Btu in 2008 and began to tumble to $3 by Sep-tember of 2009, eventually nding a Spring price of less than $2.Shale gas produc-ers were already working on encouraging investment in export. Cheniere Energy, Inc. had begun earlier this century to build the Sabine Pass liquid natural gas (LNG) import terminal. When the rst tanker arrived for loading approximately a decade later, the U.S. had too much natural gas.Cheniere quickly worked to build LNG export infrastructure on the same footprint. Other importers followed. And greeneld projects appeared.With the abundance of U.S. natural gas supply, users globally – particularly Asia-Pacic and Europe – are turning to U.S. exporters. And users in Mexico have contracted for feedstock via pipe. This year, some 20 Bcf/d of U.S. gas is exiting to markets abroad, and the gure is expected to grow as additional infrastructure now underway comes online.

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37Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comNORTHEAST U.S. OIL MARKETNYMEX futures into year-end 2033 ranged in mid-August from a minimum of no less than $2.50 to more than $4 – and this includes shoulder-month contracts.Encouraging the price restructur-ing of U.S. gas this year is that the fuel is increasingly viewed as bridge feedstock in reducing overall CO2 emissions, such as converting CH4 into H2 in transportation, while burying the carbon byproduct. As for the diminishment in seasonal variance in price, natural gas has displaced coal during the past de-cade as the No. 1 U.S. feedstock for power generation.U.S. natural gas producers found it. U.S. infrastructure developers built it. The buyers have come.Nissa Darbonne, author of The American Shales, is editor-at-large for Hart Energy Publishing, LLP. She began her journalism career in 1984 in the oil and gas elds of South Louisiana, including for The Daily Ad-vertiser (Lafayette) and The Morning Advocate (Baton Rouge). She received her B.A. in English and Journalism from the University of South-western Louisiana (University of Louisiana at Lafayette). She lives in Houston. Oilwoman Cartoon

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38Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comALTERNATIVE ENERGYVanir Energy: Leading the Charge Through Solar Power By Claudia MelatiniThe name Vanir comes from Norse mythology and represents health, pros-perity and fertility. Vanir Energy, part of the Vanir Group, acquired clean energy developer Appalachian in 2008 and has been making history ever since. In Febru-ary 2008, Vanir completed Fletcher Busi-ness Park. Located in Fletcher, North Carolina, the 1.5MW solar thermal facility was, at the time, the world’s larg-est heating and cooling facility. Owned and operated by Vanir, Fletcher Business Park purchases energy from the solar power generation facility through a long-term solar thermal purchase agreement (STPA) based on the kWh generated.Housing 30,000 square feet of rooftop space, the facility is powered by 640 EnerWorks solar thermal panels attached to one mile of structural steel framing. The thermal panels feed a 27,000-gallon storage tank using 1.5 miles of piping, ve heat exchangers and 17 pumps. The system can generate about 1,500,000 kWh of power annually while condition-ing 185,000 square feet of space. The renewable energy generated will offset 2,040,000 lbs. of CO2, which is the equivalent of saving 237,789 trees. In just three months, the project created over 90 jobs and generated $2.6 million in revenue for the local economy. Worldwide Leader Vanir’s vision is to lead the industry in providing cost-effective energy efciency and alternative energy solutions, while providing for the needs of the commu-nities it serves. It plans to develop fully integrated energy solutions to communi-ties and businesses that provide value and carbon reduction. At the helm is CEO, Dorene Domin-guez, whose father founded the com-pany in San Bernardino, California, in 1964. Dominguez recalls the company starting off as a small real estate com-pany when her father acquired a duplex, followed by a triplex and an apartment building. By the late 1980s, Vanir ranked as the eighth largest Hispanic-owned business in the U.S. In college, Dominguez was actively in-volved in the Young Republicans Nation-al Federation and was approached to run for Congress. Instead, she chose to focus on helping her brother and father with the family business. The siblings took over the company and expanded, adding Vanir Energy. After Dominguez’s brother passed away, she stepped in to become CEO. Today, she sits on the boards of a number of charities, has been ranked on Fortune’s “Top 50 Most Powerful Latinas in Business” seven years in a row, and is the rst Latina to hold the distinction of NBA ownership status with a minority share in the Sacramento Kings. Continuing a Path of GrowthVanir is dedicated to expanding the benet of solar power across the world through projects devoted to renewable energy, energy efciency and energy anal-ysis. Its current projects focus in three ar-eas: solar thermal, solar photovoltaic and lighting retrot. Solar thermal projects use solar collectors to provide cost-effec-tive hot water solutions to businesses and residences with high hot water demand. Vanir currently has a number of projects underway under this umbrella, including the YMCA facilities in Northwest, North Carolina, the Vanity Fair Corporation building in Greensboro, North Carolina, and the Fletcher Business Park. Most people who are familiar with solar energy think of solar panels. Vanir Energy has consistently developed solar photovoltaic technology in order to provide its clients with cost savings. Through roof mount, ground mount and car shade structure applications, solar photovoltaic projects harness the sun’s energy to provide power at a largely reduced cost. The use of space for solar panels is integral to these designs. Vanir has utilized this technology for a number of projects in the California market: The Independent System Operator (ISO), Angels Camp RV Park, the Hayward Unied School District, and Raley’s su-Photo courtesy of MarcMorrison.com ©2021.

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39Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comALTERNATIVE ENERGYpermarket chain, which is headquartered in West Sacramento, California.Vanir is also focused on reducing the costs of one of the largest energy expen-ditures – lighting. Through its lighting retrot projects, companies can create a substantial reduction in energy costs. It is one of the solar retrot updates that can provide immediate savings and a fast payback on initial investment. Gold’s Gym, a major gym chain also in the California market, is among the lighting retrot projects that Vanir has handled.Answering the ChallengeDorene Dominguez’s experience at Notre Dame challenged her and her family to give back to their community. The commencement speech at her brother’s law school graduation, deliv-ered by Peter Ueberroth (chairman of the Olympic Organizing Committee and sixth Commissioner of the MLB), inspired her father to adopt his elemen-tary school (Burbank Elementary in San Bernardino, California). Dominguez watched as her father provided the school with building maintenance, ren-ished the playground and provided food baskets for the families. This experience was the seed that guided her to start Dominguez Dream, founded in memory of her late father. The organization serves elementary schools and underserved communi-ties and empowers students through STEAM activities and parent engage-ment. Since 2004, the program has helped over 300,000 students and fami-lies throughout California and Arizona by providing after-school programs that reinforce the belief that they can achieve their dreams. The program also provides food gift cards, school uniforms and iPads for underserved students. Domin-guez also maintains a strong connection to her alma mater, Notre Dame. She and Don Bishop, Assistant Vice President of Undergraduate Enrollment, host an annual Notre Dame Night, where un-derserved high school students can learn about the school, as well as the summer programs available to them. Vanir Energy, led by Dominguez, is set to expand with ofces opening at a record pace. Given the current environ-mental needs, Vanir, under Dominguez’s leadership, is poised to take center stage in the competitive solar energy sector.Claudia Melatini has been a content marketing writ-er in the private wealth, FinTech, and energy and renewables spaces for over 15 years. She has written for American Funds, Capital Group, LPL, RBC Wealth Management, Living Lela, Petnovations and more. Visit www.thepowerfulpage.com. DEVELOPING WOMEN LEADERS OF TOMORROWImagine what would be possible if early in their career, women had access to the coaching and tools that are typically available to only senior executives? And at a fraction of the cost?Pinkcareers offers research-based, experiential learning solutions so organizations can develop and retain exceptional female leaders. Ready to take your team to the next level? Get in touch. richa@pinkcareers.com @pinkcareers_ www.pinkcareers.com

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42Oilwoman Magazine / September-October 2021 / OilwomanMagazine.comFAMILYThe Future is FemaleBy Massiel DiezFrom LinkedIn**Long personal post ahead.**The SECRET is out. I am pregnant.Why did I hide it from everyone for seven months? Because I was scared. Scared of what my clients, coworkers and employer would think. I waited to be in my 30s to have my rst child because I always wanted to put my career rst and felt that it would be harder to have a family [while] navigating promotions and my professional journey. But why did I feel embarrassed and scared to share such great news when it was something we so deeply wanted?It frustrates me that most women feel the same way I did when it’s their turn. We feel like our career may take a turn and stall or end. It’s normal to feel like that, in my opinion, because I see it all around me. Women who leave on maternity sometimes come back in a “crappier” role or have a harder time with promotions because they have other challenges. I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself and be proud of my decision. I told myself that at the end of the day, it’s up to me to achieve my goals regardless of having a baby. It’s up to me to come back stronger and keep navigating my career the way I WANT IT. Note from the editor: Massiel Diez posted this message, along with this photo, on her LinkedIn prole in June. It has been lightly edited and reprinted here with her permission. Congratulations to Diez and her husband, Tim Taylor, on the birth of their daughter, Skye Taylor, born July 30, 2021, in Houston, Texas!The amount of love, support and encouragement I’ve gotten from my employer and clients are insane! Seriously, it was ALL in my head! I know I can do it and so can you. Watch ME.

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