Oil sanctions: How effective are they?
I have been working in Syria on a gas project but had to leave because of the political situation there, plus the imposition of sanctions by the European Union (EU) on that country's oil and gas industry.
Opinion
What is Longannet’s future? Now that’s the question
The biggest question at the heart of Scotland's future power supply is not about renewables, though that is where the main focus tends. Rather it is Longannet.
Why we need a UK National Oil Company
You'll remember that around the New Year when the 30-year-old UK Cabinet papers were released it was revealed why the then Prime Minister, one M Thatcher, opposed the idea of government investment to help build a gas gathering pipeline network which would have created thousands of new jobs in various plastics and chemical industries.
We told you so, Osborne
So the Treasury has screwed up big-time over its North Sea tax grab; or at least that's how it seems.
2012: shaping up to be a busy deals year
The past year has been a rollercoaster ride for oil and gas investors to say the least, with volatility being the theme which dominated the headlines. That said, we look forward with cautious optimism towards what 2012 may bring.
Increased spending masks darker tale
No doubt about it: investment in developing UK oil and gas reserves last year was strong, rising by at least a quarter compared to 2010.
It won’t enhance virility or cure baldness but you need this vitamin
What benefits would make you interested in vitamin D? Many of our male readers work offshore and may not be particularly interested in vitamins anyway and the idea of reading an article entirely about vitamin D doesn't appeal.
Tax and the Debt Crisis
The last few years have undoubtedly been some of the most turbulent in economic history. The tightening of credit conditions has had a major impact on governments' finances with many countries taking radical steps to balance the books and finding their ability to repay debt being closely scrutinised.
Shale gas – fuel of the future?
The shale gas industry is described as offering the potential for a revolution in the world energy market, which could transform world energy trade, geopolitics and climate policy.
Why confuse existing safety case?
MANY of you may be aware that when the European Commission announced its proposal to bring the whole of Europe's offshore oil and gas regimes up to a standard similar to that of the UK Continental Shelf, it acknowledged that Britain's safety regime is already a global exemplar.
Don’t cry for me, Argentina
ROCKHOPPER Exploration updated the market last month with interim results, and with them, a revision to its development plan for the Sea Lion field.
Central Asian opportunities and the threat of extremism
DESPITE the difficult security situation, some optimism surrounds the longer-term prospects of Afghanistan as an energy provider.
New Year, new you?
HOW many of us decided in advance of Christmas and Hogmanay not to over-indulge, but when it came to it, we just couldn't resist?
Is shale gas all it is fracked up to be?
AS WE LOOK back over 2011 one of the areas of significant interest that has emerged in the oil and gas sector is unconventional gas.
Time’s up for offshore time-off cases
THE long-running saga around holidays for offshore workers appears finally to have been brought to a close, with the decision of the Supreme Court handed down on December 7 in Russell and others v Transocean International Resources Limited (Scotland).
The mess that is Iraq and Kazakhstan
FOR many, the turning of the year is a time of reflection; especially what we could have and perhaps should have done better during the old year and laying grand plans for the new one . . . personal if not corporate.
Ofgem discriminates illegally against islands
AT LEAST Ofgem delivered on one promise - that it would publish the findings of its catchily-named TransmiT exercise before Christmas and indeed it came as a gift-wrapped package for the onshore wind industry.
High oil prices and the economic recession
SOME people used to call me Dr Gloom because of my economic forecasts for the Scottish economy. I felt that was unfair because I have actually had an accurate forecasting record over the last decade and rarely been more pessimistic than the actual outcomes.
Higgs Boson v the EU
I WONDER if it's too late for me to become a physicist because I find the hunt for the Higgs Boson utterly fascinating.
Shale & Shale Alike
LAST month, a FTSE100 company announced plans to spend $4.5billion on developing its interests in various US gas fields. Nothing unusual in that you say; however, but the business in question is not an oil & gas company, but a miner.
Prostate cancer . . . not a head in the sand matter
LAST month you may have noticed more men than usual sporting a newly-grown moustache.
‘Agreements to Agree’ – more enforceable than many people think
TRADITIONALLY, so-called "agreements to agree" were considered unenforceable under English and Scots law because they lacked the necessary certainty.
Oil & gas capital confidence – going for growth
ERNST & Young's Global Capital Confidence Barometer is a regular survey of senior executives from large companies around the world conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
Shetland’s second oil boom
I ENJOY visiting Shetland; I spent a lot of time there in the 1970s when the Sullom Voe oil terminal was being built and have been back many times since.
The myths of ‘jobs joy’
WHENEVER I see the words "jobs joy" in a headline, I skip the first six paragraphs in order to search for the nitty-gritty. Does the project exist or is it proposed? Therein sits a crucial world of difference.