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.
Opinion
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.
Aberdeen and Bergen . . . North Sea twins?
I'VE just been in Norway; Bergen to be precise. The objective was to visit a number of key companies with a heavy commitment to subsea, including the biggest purchaser of technologies and services on the Norwegian Continental Shelf . . . Statoil itself.
Cutting solar tariffs . . . is it such a good idea?
I SOMETIMES wonder whether those in government actually have their brains wired up differently to the rest of us.
Clyde Blowers’ rescue of Finnish turbine firm is excellent news
Hooray ... at last ... a UK company, Scottish to boot, has made a bold step into meaningful manufacturing of components for large wind turbines by buying Finnish company Moventas for £85million.
Golden Eagle platforms disappointment
So, the platforms for the Nexen-operated Golden Eagle project have gone to the Middle East, or more correctly the UAE-domiciled but London-listed group Lamprell.
Private-equity involvement in energy sector on rise
The oil and gas industry has had much to celebrate lately; we have seen major projects coming on stream and there is a robust pipeline of new work.
EU plans offshore oil & gas safety law push but what does it mean for UK?
THE safety and environmental impact of the offshore oil and gas industry has, in past year or so, seen unprecedented scrutiny by the press and regulators.
Deal or No Deal?
THE level of global upstream oil and gas assets merger & acquisition activity was a little bit flat through early 2011.
Fuelling the Dragon: China’s strategic oil & gas policy
THE world's most-populous country, China, is also the second-largest consumer of oil; moreover, this huge country's rapidly rising demand and imports have made it a significant player in global energy markets.