Action and ambition will put Aberdeen and the North East at the heart of tackling climate change as part of a future global industry worth trillions, writes Energy Transition Programme Director at Opportunity North East (ONE), Martin McCormack.
The starting pistol on the countdown to COP 26 has been fired and for SSE Renewables which, as part of the SSE Group, was recently announced as a partner with the UK Government to support the summit in Glasgow in 2021, there’s no better time to discuss how we accelerate the transition to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
It is my unhappy lot to have two governments, neither of which I voted for and whose ideologies I do not like. But that’s democracy and I will survive it. How well the Scottish economy survives it is another question which the green energy recovery brings into focus.
With less than 30 days to go until the end of the Brexit transition period at the end of December, many questions remain unanswered as to what the impact will be on waste management in the UK.
The theme for this issue of Energy Voice is looking back on 2020 and looking forward to 2021 – I think most of us can’t wait to put 2020 behind us, so I thought I would focus on the future. One thing the future holds for us is Brexit.
I wouldn’t expect many to challenge the view that the energy sector encountered a “perfect storm” in 2020 with the Covid-19 pandemic causing global upheaval, financial markets’ nervousness and geo-political challenges.
Few would disagree that the Covid-19 pandemic has made 2020 the most disruptive and distressing year in recent living memory. The effect on people’s lives and the thousands of deaths caused by this awful virus will be etched in our minds for a long time to come.
At the beginning of 2020 CMS launched a report examining the energy transition strategies of 15 of the world’s largest oil and gas companies to assess how far they are committed to new and alternative energy. It revealed how these firms were, at that time, investing 3% of capex budgets into renewables with a strong emphasis on wind and solar technologies.
The minister said we have to make the case for CCUS, there are going to be carbon emissions and we are going to have to capture them.
Priscilla Hall, Partner and Head of Green Energy at national law firm Clarke Willmott LLP, shares her thoughts on the advantages and disadvantages of bioenergy as the Government develops its green energy strategy.
As light begins to appear at the end of the tunnel in the battle against the Coronavirus pandemic, it is now a time for governments worldwide to think deeply about a sustainable, green recovery plan. In the UK, a sign of intent to seize this enormous opportunity to build back better has been given with the announcement of a £12b plan for a ‘green industrial revolution’. The pledge comes with the UK already moving in the right direction jumping to 5th spot in EY’s latest Renewable Energy Country Attractive Index.
Boris Johnson's Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution sets out how the UK looks to "build back better" from the impact of coronavirus by creating green jobs and accelerating the transition to net zero emissions by 2050.
There’s no question about it – the world is going green. The transition to renewable energy has been in the works for a while, but the recent wildfires in the US and Australia coupled with a renewed focus on cleaner air due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has really focussed minds. But before we can comprehensively move away from fossil fuels and into a majority renewables energy market, we need to be able to truly understand the unpredictable nature of renewable energy generation to ensure a stable power supply – after all, the sun isn’t always shining! Could IoT (Internet of Things) be the key to moving forward with our green energy transition?
From April 2021, large and medium firms in the private sector that hire contractors will be responsible for determining their IR35 status rather than the contractors themselves as the Off-Payroll legislation takes effect. Whilst many oil firms will continue to hire contractors off-payroll, we are seeing some taking a risk-averse approach and issuing blanket bans on hiring contractors who work through their own personal service companies, insisting instead that they all go PAYE, either directly or via agency payroll.
The gas-flaring rate of the European Union’s imported gas is 33x higher than indigenous production. We commend the EU’s recent methane strategy, but to support net zero the EU needs an equally clear EU gas flaring strategy.
This has been quite a year for our industry, unlike any other I’ve known: a global pandemic triggering health and economic crises, continued geopolitical tensions and increasing wariness of what we do. It’s a lot to contend with.
COVID-19 has had a terrible impact on society’s physical health.
It’s been talked-up for months, but last week the Prime Minster finally fired the starting gun on what he promises will be a bold, ambitious race to radically transform the UK into a green economy.
With COP26 less than a year away, an intergenerational climate emergency requires intergenerational action. We have over 1,000 young energy experts that can help shape the climate debate, writes the Energy Institute’s Sinead Obeng AMEI
The oil & gas sector has a vital role to play in transitioning to net zero by 2050, and in mature basins like the UKCS, much can be achieved. Innovation and technology will be key to unlocking many of these opportunities.
As a technology-focused energy impact investor, EV Private Equity is committed to building innovative world-class companies. Experience has shown us that achieving that ambition requires global reach, unique insights and a strong mindset that transcends geographical and territorial boundaries.
None of us can predict for certain what the supply chain of the future will look like, yet we all have to plan for future changes to make sure our businesses move forward in step with the world around us.
While some aspects of our everyday life changed significantly during the pandemic, two things have remained constant, our ever-increasing energy demands and questions around the capacity of our ageing energy infrastructure to meet this demand. That makes the Energy White Paper crucial and its continuing delay a problem.
If the rising cost and environmental pressures experienced by the oil and gas exploration sector this year have shown us anything, it is this: it is time to make the impossible affordable.
In the “business-as-usual” version of 2020, global leaders should have been gathering this week in Glasgow for the most important meeting on climate since the Paris Agreement five years ago.