Infield Energy Analysts sees an $80billion market for new fixed production facilities worldwide over the next five years. The consultancy says this represents an increase of more than 50% in expenditure levels as compared with the preceding period 2004-08, which saw investment totalling $54billion.
July was an interesting month for those of us involved in the energy sector because both the UK and Scottish Governments laid out their plans for reducing carbon emissions and so help to keep climate change and global warming under control.
While I have long regarded the Scottish Government's attempt to veto nuclear new-build in Scotland as a damaging piece of gesture politics, I must admit to having underestimated both its absurdity and hypocrisy.
With energy demand predicted to double over the next two decades and fossil fuels set to supply more than half of the world's energy needs through to 2030, carbon capture and storage (CCS) is seen as a major contributor to reducing man-made carbon-dioxide emissions.
Offshore Europe traditionally attracts a huge influx of overseas visitors to Aberdeen, many of them organised into national and regional delegations.
If the HSE's latest 100-page epistle on the status of North Sea safety was a school report, it would probably say John has made quite good progress of late, but he must concentrate more if he is to realise his real potential.
Electromagnetic Geoservices (EMGS) has launched its second purpose-built electromagnetic (EM) survey vessel to better accommodate EM surveying worldwide, though the market is currently somewhat depressed.
This year's Offshore Europe is unquestionably the most strategic there will have ever been, both in terms of the breadth of the exhibition and the depth of the conference programme.
WHILE the Scottish Government makes claims about sustainable transport that may not stand close scrutiny, the US is simply getting on with the job, and in a neat twist, it is ExxonMobil that is playing a key role by sponsoring an all-electric car-sharing and rental programme called AltCar at the Maryland Science Centre in Baltimore, Maryland.
Threats to the continuity of business are plentiful and have the habit of occurring at a time of maximum inconvenience, and when and where they are least expected - think tsunami and, more recently, Mumbai.
Anyone who has ever been asked to explain the offside rule in football or tried to teach a child how to swim knows that often the best way of getting your message across is to get your hands dirty and lead by example.
The huge investment of time, effort and more than £4billion over the past four years to reduce the risk of major incidents offshore is producing tangible results.
As recession bites deeper into Britain and thousands of students find themselves on the breadline, one company at least is sustaining its commitment to recruiting smart graduates, and that is Schlumberger.
A NEW study carried out at the University of Leicester reveals that an alternative to oil could be found in ancient sea deposits dating from 300million years ago.
LOWESTOFT College is inviting applications for the pilot of its one-year Energy Skills Foundation Programme, which is due to start in September. It says the course is innovative and the result of consultation with energy-industry employers.
A DOZEN S3 pupils from Hazlehead Academy, Aberdeen, have just been given a realistic taste of the energy industry's oil&gas coal face.
BIOLOGICAL fuel cells are closer to reality thanks to the success of a team of American researchers.
BAKER Hughes and Shell have co-operated to develop a real-time compaction imaging (RTCI) system that Baker says can lead to significant savings in well completions by using fibre-optics to monitor sand screen deformations and casing shape in real time.
Scottish 4D seismic services company Reservoir Imaging Ltd (RIL) is working on the planning and quality control (QC) of wide-azimuth surveys, the emerging marine seismic data acquisition technique being employed to image complex geologies such Gulf of Mexico subsalt.
CARBONATE reservoirs contain a significant proportion of the world's remaining oil&gas reserves and therefore their relative importance is expected to dramatically increase during the first half of this century.
SEABED Rig has contracted fellow Norwegian company Energid Technologies to apply its know-how in robotics software to the autonomous subsea drilling now under development and supported by StatoilHydro, the Norwegian Research Council (Petromaks and DEMO2000) and Innovation Norway.
WE ARE lucky enough to live in a relatively disease-free country, but many employees of the global energy industry travel abroad to work in parts of the world where pre-travel vaccinations and immunisations are essential.
Midway through 2009, the exploration and appraisal spud tally stands at 21 wells, with a further 16 sidetracks started.
GLOBAL giant Alcoa has signed a development agreement with Cameron to commercialise aluminium drilling riser systems for offshore oil&gas exploration and development.
JAPANESE shipbuilding/engineering, together with ship-owning and drilling interests, are forging a consortium to build and supply drilling rigs to Petrobras, of Brazil, as it urgently needs a large number of such units to pursue its ultra-deepwater exploration and production ambitions.
