Wind energy – we shall pay the price for the downside
There was not much good news for consumers at the All-Energy 2012 Conference in Aberdeen.
Opinion
Onshore wind: major success for world-famous Scots firm
This is a personal view based on personal experience of harvesting wind energy.
Time to get smart . . .
Around the world there is strong consensus that we are about to see significant changes in the way we use and generate electricity.
Uncertainty trumps all other risks to renewables progress
All-Energy is a landmark in the year for everyone in renewables; a chance to meet up with the people that make the industry tick; and a chance to reflect on the progress of this still very 'green' segment of the energy world.
Carbon reduction targets – just so much hot air
Governments love target-setting for two not very good reasons. The first is that the targets, set in the distant future, invariably sound more impressive than the current reality.
All bets off in a race that may have no winners
With fossil fuel prices climbing inexorably and outstripping background inflation, the notion of maximising the use of renewables is surely a no-brainer. Isn't it? Something that would surely gain big time support?
Renewable Energy in the South Pacific
I am currently in the South Pacific on a project intended to raise renewable energy output in the region.
Year dominated by wind, waste, whisky and waves
Gosh. Is it really a whole year since the last All Energy Exhibition and Conference and in that year have we actually made much progress towards building that broad-based clean energy industry we all dream about?
OTC 2012 – Final Thoughts
Lots of tired faces in the departure lounge and mine is one of them.
Days Two and Three of OTC
I came here with a relatively clear diary and an ambition of visiting the show for a few hours every day and going to a variety of cocktail parties and dinners in the evenings. But it hasn't worked out that way - it never does! This year my schedule has filled up even more quickly than it has in the past, and virtually all of my time is spent in meetings at our Huston downtown headquarters and at breakfasts, lunches and dinners with clients and contacts. (note to self - must start the diet and go to the gym when home next week!).
OTC: it all starts with cocktails
For many the OTC week starts in earnest with the Simmons cocktail party. This is a 40 year tradition that the firm works hard at preserving by making sure that those attending are real influencers and decision makers.
Brussels and North Sea safety
The UK oil and gas industry is constantly faced with challenges; technology, fiscal, skills retention and other business issues are all part and parcel of our day to day work. But as a major hazard industry, it is the safety of our people that comes before everything else.
UK oilfield supply chain perfectly positioned to globalise
The annual Offshore Technology Conference in Houston presents the UK oilfield services (OFS) with the perfect opportunity to highlight its position as a core component of Britain's manufacturing and service base, given its importance to the domestic oil and gas sector and status as a key exporter.
Let’s rip off graduates
"The Queen pays her interns, Keith Vaz does not - there is no political predictability about who will fleece new graduates."
Gas Wars – shaking up the industry
A few years ago if someone had suggested that conventional offshore gas field development programmes and the LNG market would soon be under threat from shale gas they would have been thought at best eccentric and at worst suffering from some sort of delusionary illness.
Offshore industry boosted by high prices
Offshore accounted for about 32% of total world oil output in 2011 and some 24% of gas production. Both shares have increased slowly over the past decade.
Scotland cannot pretend to be outside the nuclear debate
The decision by RWE and E.ON to pull the plug on nuclear new-build in the UK is a product of German politics and priorities. However, it raises serious issues for energy policy that need to be addressed with some urgency.
Pulling Up the Stumps
Offshore Oil & Gas production is an infrastructure intensive activity. The UK North Sea is estimated to be home to around 10million tonnes of steel and concrete making up the 470 installations, 5,000 wells, and 6,000 miles (9,656km) of pipeline laid to date.
US Gulf of Mexico safety . . . a catching-up process
Leadership, communication and teamwork are buzzwords that are banded about a lot within our industry. It is sad fact that all too often familiarity breeds contempt and over time there is a danger that we can forget why these things were important in the first place.
It’s patently the right time to audit
Of important significance to the oil and gas industry, the Government is due to introduce a "Patent Box" regime to encourage companies with high-tech assets to locate their base in the UK.
Smile please . . .
May is National Smile Month and we're all being encouraged to smile and show off our gleaming teeth as part of an oral health campaign organised by the British Dental Foundation.
Elgin platform crisis a warning to all in the North Sea
ON SUNDAY March 25, Total lost control of a rogue well in the Elgin-Franklin field complex, 240km (150 miles) east of Aberdeen, precipitating a crisis that will end up costing the French group billions of dollars in lost revenues but which has so far not cost any lives.
Why size really does count
We have a problem. Put bluntly there are now far too many indigenous companies getting snapped up by overseas buyers.
A great Budget for the oil industry
After the debacle of the UK's 2011 Budget which contributed to a significant fall in activity over the last year, it's great to be able to report on the positive developments for the industry coming out of the 2012 iteration.
Market shocks: from olives to oil
Is oil the new Greece? That's the question currently being asked by many market analysts.