Skills gap hardly new but it must be solved
The badly named "skills gap" is not a new problem. We've known about it for a long time.
Opinion
The strange sacking of Charles Hendry
Do Energy Ministers matter? Discuss! Unfortunately, the subject is once again relevant due to the unexpected and unwelcome removal of Charles Hendry from the post.
Unpicking the UK’s oil tax regime
After the outcry over the UK Government's 2011 Budget £10billion tax grab, North Sea oil producers have been given a string of allowances to make their investments more viable. Aberdeen University's professor of petroleum economics, Alex Kemp, unpicks the latest tax changes and argues that the debate over future additional allowances will continue
And so the door revolves again
Energy minister Charles Hendry... relegated to the back benches; renewables sceptic John Hayes is given the role.
UK’s transport policy’s right off the rails
If for some peculiar reason I had actually wanted to go to London to watch any of the Olympics my choices of how to get there would have been to fly, drive, catch a train or take one of those long distance buses.
Whining oil companies and MoD blocking windfarms – not acceptable
OK, time to speak out; I've had enough of the moaning that's going on in and around Aberdeen regarding renewable energy. And I'm becoming increasingly irritated at the Ministry of Defence, which has so far attempted to block 30 or so wind projects in the north-east corner and many more UK-wide.
Energy in the South Pacific
I have spent most of the last four months working in the South Pacific - in Fiji, Papua New Guinea (PNG) and a few other countries. Someone asked me if I would like to undertake a study on improving energy security in the region and after a few seconds hesitation I agreed. It has been a very enjoyable change from working in Scotland.
King Coal clambers back on to his throne
Coal is often treated as the embarrassing relation of the energy family. Everyone depends on it but would prefer not to say so. It neither courts headlines nor receives plaudits - but without it, the well-worn phrase about the lights going out would soon turn to reality.
It’s time to think about flu . . . and how to mitigate the risk
Many of us have been making the most of what's left of our summer. Thoughts of winter and seasonal flu haven't been uppermost on our minds.
As long as everyone sticks to the rules, everyone goes home safe, right?
Supposing someone was to ask you "what is the safety culture like where you work?" How would you begin to answer that? Perhaps in your workplace, safety is so ingrained in every system and process; right down to everyone remembering to hold the handrails.
Kurdistan . . . a lot safer than you might believe
If you were to list some of the safer operating environments for the energy sector worldwide, the north of Iraq might not immediately spring to mind. However, the territories administered by the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) are currently just that.
Seeking inspiration from the stars
It must be many a small boy's dream to become an astronaut: to explore the unknown, to use fantastic technology and gadgets and to push the boundaries of man's capabilities.
Building Great Wall of energy conquest
In my article "Deal or No Deal" (Energy, November, 2011), I highlighted my expectation of increased bid activity from National Oil Companies (NOC's) given their significant sovereign wealth fire-power and the perception that in current volatile markets, there was value to be exploited.
Business services: improvement through transformation
Oil and gas sector interest in initiatives designed to improve the quality and efficiency of business services - finance, human resources, supply chain, etc - has intensified over the past few years, but the reasons will differ depending on the scale and maturity of a business.
Brazil – striving for gold in Rio
So, the London 2012 Olympic Games have been broadly hailed as a huge success. The impressive sports facilities were ready on time, the city's transport system functioned well and Londoners generally kept working as usual.
Striving for “One North Sea”
Energy treaties with Norway seem to happen with puzzling regularity these days. Last October, the then UK energy secretary, Chris Huhne, and his Oslo counterpart signed "an historic energy agreement" - according to a DECC (Department of Energy & Climate Change) press release - to "co-operate further on renewables, oil and gas and the use of technology such as carbon capture and storage".
Norway – great leaders of the technology race
When people ask me where are our equivalents of the Norwegian companies Kvaerner, Aker, Kongsberg, Hitec, Framo and others such as Petroleum Geo-Services and Dolphin Geophysical or offshore drillers like Odfjell or Seadrill, or the powerful armada of offshore support vessels, then I really can't give them an answer.
The pain of explorers
Oil & gas explorers, particularly small-caps, have always caught the imagination of the private investor attracted by potentially significant rewards. Exploration success is often greeted by rapid share price ascent; disappointment on the other hand can result in a ruthless sell-off.
Oil & Gas tax consultation paper offers welcome relief . . .
Last month saw the UK Government issue a consultation paper outlining proposals designed to provide oil companies with clarity on the issue of the availability of decommissioning tax relief.
Chinese chequers . . . or what?
On July 23, two of China's national oil corporations announced major deals involving the Canadian companies Nexen and Talisman. The transactions are very different in nature.
Arctic opportunities on the Norwegian Continental Shelf
"The Barents Sea is now a sea of opportunities," the Norwegian Minister for Petroleum and Energy, Ola Borten Moe, stated in the announcement of the 22nd licensing round on June 26.
A terrific summer of inspiring sport
This summer has provided us with plenty of exciting sporting events to watch including the Euro 2012 football championships, the Tour de France and the London 2012 Games. It's been enormous fun to view from our sofas armed with a cool drink and some tasty snacks but have we been inspired to get out there and try some sporting activities for ourselves?
Norway . . . still a striking model to admire
I worked in Norway for a year and am a frequent business visitor there. I took a sabbatical year from Aberdeen University to work at a research institute in Oslo, where with an old friend Terje Lind I wrote a book on Norwegian Oil Policies.
Showing faith in province
The anticipated acquisition of Nexen by CNOOC provides further evidence of global organisations' continuing interest in the North Sea, and another example of major merger and acquisition activity on the UK continental shelf.
Surprise entry of the dragon
I have long warned that China's so-called national oil companies - China National Offshore Oil Corporation, China National Petroleum Corporation and Sinopec - are scouring the globe, seeking access to high-quality oil andgas resources pretty much anywhere.