Bids for carbon storage licensing demand critical geological evaluation
Bidding for the UK’s first ever carbon storage licensing round has opened amid a high level of interest.
Opinion
What’s the safety case for the planet?
It’s not often an entire train of thought is triggered by a report on an unusual event in the world of ornithology.
UK Windfall tax: a closer look
It is expected that the legislation introducing the new energy profits levy – better known as the windfall tax – will pass through parliament later this month, before taking effect from when it was originally announced 26 May.
Brian Wilson: Setting climate targets is one thing, meeting them is another
Setting targets is one thing and meeting them is another. That is the underlying message on which the latest, highly sceptical report by the Committee on Climate Change is built.
That small matter of asset integrity
A story carried by EV on June 23 has been gnawing at me ever since …
Make oil production greener by going local
Extracting oil from the ground is a massive logistical undertaking. It requires an army of workers, vehicles and equipment to even get started, let alone produce sustainably and profitably.
INTOG can provide lift-off for future energy
Decarbonisation of oil and gas activities in the North Sea, largely through electrification, will play a central role in Scotland's ongoing energy transition.
Hydrogen: The future of European energy or ‘the most dumb thing’
Over the past few months, Europe has radically accelerated its energy ambitions, placing hydrogen at the centre.
Patent trends in the renewable energy shift
To avoid catastrophic climate breakdown, we must limit global temperature rises to 1.5C, and the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that the time to act is “now or never” if we are to achieve this. As the biggest single contributor to global warming, the energy sector has a huge role to play, but alarm over energy security following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine threatens to derail an already fragile energy transition. Now, more than ever, support for low carbon energy innovation is urgently needed to roll out clean energy solutions that reduce emissions along with dependence on Russian oil and gas.
The energy trilemma – the role of CCS and hydrogen
The energy trilemma: mentioned in almost every session at last month’s OEUK Industry Conference held in Aberdeen, the balancing act between security & reliability of supply, affordability and sustainability is clearly at the forefront of industry considerations today.
Energy at a crossroads: which way next?
After a certain amount of time in this industry, you get a certain understanding for how the energy system works.
Left without a scooby? Industry needs certainty, windfall tax or not
Sanjoy Sen sets out the case for certainty in the North Sea taxation regime in the wake of last month's windfall tax announcement.
Mental health column: Communicate with clarity
Success is where people love to work, and where we work and what success looks like, is different for all of us. So how, as leaders, do we support our people’s mental health in a hybrid and hyper-connected world?
Windfall tax: Politicians should ‘rise above the calls of the election timetable’
The UK Government’s decision to impose a windfall tax on industry is disappointing and presents challenges to a sector that is focussed on meeting the UK’s energy needs for decades to come.
The Green Freeports race is on
The race is warming up to determine the locations for Scotland’s two Green Freeports.
Hydrogen opportunity could evaporate
During a recent visit to the USA the First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon gave a speech at the Brooking Institute in which she expressed extensive support for the proposition that hydrogen will be an essential part of the move away from fossil fuels.
The next year will see a lot of winners, but for some businesses, there will be one headwind too many
The first half of 2022 has been incredibly turbulent for Europe’s energy sector. And though many economies have shown a robust recovery in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, several other factors are now posing equally challenging risks.
Lack of renewables incentive is critical failure in government’s windfall tax scheme
Yesterday's announcement by Sunak was far from destructive for the North Sea oil & gas industry given the generous projects investment tax relief, but it fails, as it turns out, in at least one critical way.
Deirdre Michie: Supporting consumers is essential – damaging the UK energy industry is no way to do it
The Chancellor’s Energy Profits Levy, announced yesterday, is a disappointing and worrying development for industry. The shockwaves will undoubtedly be felt in offshore energy jobs and communities for years to come.
The benefits of a circular economy
The benefit of a circular approach as we address the climate challenge, with more focus on re-use and recycling, has been emphasised for me in recent days.
Ofgem protects energy market at expense of consumer affordability
The energy regulator Ofgem has published a decision document on the Market Stabilisation Charge (MSC) and opened a fresh consultation on changes to the frequency of energy price cap adjustments. These changes, while identified by the regulator as crucial to protect the market, risk having an adverse impact on consumers - something Ofgem concede in their own documentation.
We need urgent action now if the UK is to seize its golden opportunity to lead the world in carbon capture
The government is rightly pressing the urgency of the country’s energy security challenge. It is imperative we also use this as an opportunity to make large and purposeful strides towards our net zero obligations. In his recent letter to the oil and gas industry - 'Accelerating investment to protect Britain’s energy security' - Kwasi Kwarteng calls for the industry to “double down on investments in the clean energy transition”. Key to this is the acceleration of our home grown decarbonisation industry.
As the cost of renewables has fallen rapidly, gas is no longer a viable bridging tool
In the last few months, gas’ role in the energy mix has been put under a microscope.
IR35 and legal consultants – what you need to know
The oil & gas industry was arguably worst hit by the IR35 changes, due to heavily relying on consultants, particularly lawyers. Understandably, some businesses are still unsure of how to manage IR35’s stipulations so they can access instant legal expertise, and ease pressure on in-house legal teams. But there is a way forward, which can minimise the impact IR35 has on businesses. Using freelance providers can ease a huge admin burden, but it’s important business understand their obligations too.
Mental Health Awareness Week – Loneliness
The feeling of loneliness likely affects us all at some point in time which can have a huge impact both mentally and physically.