Brian Wilson: Tuning into Holyrood … by accident
Brian Wilson on the rumblings of political point-scoring rhetoric cascading through the airwaves
Brian Wilson on the rumblings of political point-scoring rhetoric cascading through the airwaves
It might seem odd choosing this issue of Energy to mark the 25th year since the Piper Alpha disaster of July 6, 1988, but we have taken our cue from the North Sea industry's three-day Piper25 conference on June 18-20.
When it was announced that BP, Shell, Statoil and maybe others we don't know about were being investigated by the European Union for potentially having manipulated the oil price I have to admit to not being at all surprised. Disappointed and concerned perhaps but not actually surprised.
The European Union is going through a difficult period, mainly because of the economic recession.
By the end of this year, it is likely that renewables will be the country's main source of electricity, providing more power than nuclear, coal or gas. Far from being "alternative energy", renewables is now a major part of our energy mix, and a significant part of Scotland's economy.
The "system" the government has set up isn't aimed at creating a renewables industry but developing mechanisms to achieve the various government policy aims on carbon emission reductions, percentage of electricity from renewable sources and so on and so forth, writes Dick Winchester.
It doesn't quite match Edinburgh Zoo's two pandas in its enclosure, but All Energy will have two elephants in the room, writes Brian Wilson
It is not just the UK where confusion reigns over providing affordable, low carbon energy - but the entire European Union, it seems, writes Jeremy Cresswell.
Many visitors to Scotland are somewhat astounded to learn that inventors from our country have created some of the most important devices to improve our life in the modern age . . . the telephone, television, refrigerator, penicillin and MRI scanner, to name just a few.
On 14 May, the ANP, Brazil’s national oil licensing agency released the results of its 11th bidding round for oil and gas rights, the first for five years.
Think of safety, remember Piper Alpha. Lord Cullen's groundbreaking report laid the foundation for a new era of safety in the oil and gas industry.
The old saying goes: "Everything is bigger in Texas" and that was certainly true at OTC this week.
There is a real feeling of optimism at OTC this year; reflecting the extremely robust outlook for the global oilfield service market.
The Herold report appeared during the dark days of the late 1990s when, of course, the jobs axe was being swung with some vigour on both sides of the North Atlantic.
The goal is to have the first full-suite subsea factory operational by 2020, subject to the usual caveats. But as far as Statoil is concerned, actual delivery is a case of when, not if.
If anyone doubted there was a renewed sense of optimism in the industry, they need only spend a few hours here.
Scotland’s energy minister dropped in on the Scottish Pavilion here at OTC today, clearly in ebullient form and rightly so.
Nick Dalgarno is a managing director at specialist corporate-finance adviser Simmons & Co International
Being invited to take part and present at this year’s Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston is a real honour and a recognition of the dynamic oil and gas sector in Scotland.
It's that time of the year again when the 2013 Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, Texas beckons oil service companies from around the world.
It was the longest car journey of my life.
The Government's latest attempt at a strategy for oil and gas was published in March but its impact was somewhat diluted by the announcement on the same day of yet another change of energy minister.
Unplanned gas or condensate leaks are precursors to potentially major incidents, fire and explosion.
Last month, one of the biggest stories for the UK North Sea was botched.
Everyone seems to be talking about Mozambique. This former Portuguese colony in the East of Africa is the focus of a topical luncheon at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston this month and is the destination for a forthcoming trade mission for Aberdeen's Africa Business Centre.