Sand – an ever-present low-priority nuisance
FROM time to time, Energy has touched on the topic of sand, mostly through following the progress of specialist firm SMS, Sand Monitoring Services, of Aberdeen.
Fast-changing renewables give SeaJacks its big break
As offshore renewables momentum builds, so a growing number of companies in the oil&gas supply chain are re-evaluating where it is they want to play.
Has the time now come for shale gas in Scotland?
Shale gas is natural gas found in impermeable rock that can now be produced by applying new technologies such as hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling. It's not only opening up massive new gas reserves, but is beginning to lead to some rethinking about national energy policies.
Ofgem – is it so bad after all?
Ofgem, the energy regulator, is reported to be under threat from an incoming Tory government - if indeed such a phenomenon occurs by June of next year.
Matter of a missing Miliband
Chancellor Alistair Darling's latest visit to Aberdeen set me thinking - not least because of the Treasury's "get lost" message to the North Sea oil&gas industry that came hot on the heels of his departure from the city, having apparently raised false hopes.
A day in the life of a Petro-Canada scholar
At the beginning of the year, five students from the University of Aberdeen were awarded the first round of engineering scholarships from Petro-Canada as the company rolled out its Emerging Leaders Scholarship Programme in the UK.
StatoilHydro getting handsome payback
BETTER drilling methods are making the single biggest contribution to improving recovery from Norway's offshore fields, according to StatoilHydro.
UKCS E&P activity just dawdling along
Nine mobile units are currently active on E&A drilling on the UKCS, with just a single platform-based appraisal ongoing in the Northern North Sea.
Kemp research points to ‘extreme’ North Sea fragility
New research by Professor Alex Kemp and colleague Linda Stephen at Aberdeen University points to just how sensitive future production from the UK North Sea has become to oil&gas price fluctuations, a situation exacerbated by the cost of finance.
Pressure mounts on operators over offshore drill-cuttings
TWMA recycles tens of thousands of tonnes of waste from the drilling industry every year and reclaims many thousands of barrels of oil during the process which are returned to client petroleum companies for reuse.
Engineer pushes concrete gravity base
Our review of the offshore wind turbine foundations market has drawn a response from engineer Roger Taylor, of Inverness, who has developed an innovative foundation and foundation installation concept package that has been previously aired in Energy.
PSN sets contract record with BP win
Aberdeen-headquartered PSN (Production Services Network) has won a major North Sea contract believed to be worth about $400million (£330million) initially and which will see its UK workforce grow by about 200, to 3,000.
North Sea Offshore exploration now 45 years old and UK licensing gets a face-lift
Since the first offshore licence, P001, was issued in 1964, the UK Government has issued 1,718 production licences.
European PE assets show continued growth despite challenging times
Despite the turbulent trading conditions of the last year, private equity (PE)-backed businesses have continued to perform strongly.
Nutty sea-train or radical solution?
This year's summer students at classification and integrity body DNV of Norway have come up with a radical sea-train design concept for Arctic operation.
StatoilHydro apprenticeship applications at record high
STATOILHYDRO is among the top Norwegian companies when it comes to taking on new apprentices from the length and breadth of the country during its autumn talent trawl.
Flying kites to power the world
In the future, might wind power tapped by high-flying kites light up major cities around the world - London, New York, Paris?
Smallest may not be best after all
IMAGINE a car that runs on hydrogen from solar power and produces water instead of carbon emissions. While vehicles like this won't be on the market any time soon, University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers are making incremental, but important, strides in the fuel-cell technology that could make clean cars a reality.
Swedish research rewrites oil&gas generation book
SCIENTISTS at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm have managed to prove that fossils from animals and plants are not necessary for crude oil and natural gas to be generated.
Strange movements in oil prices
A colleague in Saudi Arabia and I have begun a six-month study of world oil prices in the hope of building an economic model that will produce more accurate forecasts of future prices.
Drillers need to avoid being drilled
Of course, it's always a good idea to take care of your teeth, and if you are working offshore, it's especially important as there will not be a dentist on hand to help out if you have raging toothache or a painful abscess.
Bayliss heads east for new job
TOPAZ Energy and Marine has taken on a former Petrofac senior, Bill Bayliss, as chief operating officer of the Middle East group's engineering division. He replaces outgoing COO Jim Masterton, who remains with the company in an advisory capacity.
Fibre-optics firm claims world first
FIBRE-OPTIC sensing systems firm Fotech Solutions has installed what it says is the world's first "dedicated downhole distributed acoustic optical fibre system".
Sand specialist settles into new home
SAND Monitoring Services (SMS) has relocated across Europe's Energy Capital to the new Energy Development Centre at Aberdeen Science & Technology Park. The move paves the way to planned significant growth for the SME, with the current head count of 16 expected to reach 20 or so by the end of this year. The company also has an option to lease further space at the EDC, namely the unit next door to its new home.
Framo’s capabilities ‘very important’ to Petrobras
FRAMO Engineering is to instal a new-generation subsea multiphase pumping system in the Campos Basin Barracuda field for Petrobras.