By David Carr, OEG Energy Group Chief Commercial Officer
The UK can unlock significant future growth opportunities in offshore wind – but only if industry and government work collaboratively to support a positive investment climate.
Vattenfall’s recent announcement that it was canning its hydrogen trial at the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre offshore Aberdeen has rather riled me.
Most of what we do, most of what we own and even where and how we live and work is in one way or another a result of the development of the oil and gas industry.
The end of March was my four-year anniversary as part of the Energy Voice team. On the one hand, it feels like time has flown by. On the other, it also feels like ages ago when the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill.
The big bust-up at Holyrood needed a trigger point and that came when the SNP-Green administration formally dropped its target for a 75% cut in emissions from 1990 by 2030.
By Jon Fitzpatrick, Founder and Managing Director of Gneiss Energy
With growing geopolitical unrest, and headwinds in renewables, future energy policy should recognise the vital role that oil and gas will continue to play, writes Jon Fitzpatrick, founder and managing director of Gneiss Energy.
The Scottish Government likes the idea of getting into bed with Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) to drive the development and mass manufacture of floating offshore wind turbines, initially for deployment in Scottish waters.
The UK’s decarbonisation goals are undoubtedly ambitious and will require a comprehensive, multi-faceted strategy if the country is to meet its net zero obligations.
I don’t know about you but I love a good steak. Preferably a medium rare, one inch thick ribeye sliced and served with my version of the sauce created by the famous French “L'Entrecôte” restaurant chain I ate in regularly when I lived and worked in France a few decades ago and, a good size side of French fries plus, of course, a glass or two of a decent vin rouge.
It’s great to learn that investment in wind energy across Europe more than doubled last year compared to 2022, driven by record financing of North Sea offshore wind projects.
Getting to net zero, producing oil and gas from the North Sea as we transition, and ensuring economic benefits for the UK don’t make an obvious trinity, and we are well aware of tensions.
A few weeks ago, Holyrood Sources – a podcast producer – held a live meeting in Aberdeen with three politicians and some 300 people from the energy sector.
It was all a bit odd at the Scottish Labour conference last month. A few days earlier, the oil and gas industry was shrieking outrage at Labour for proposing a windfall tax on gargantuan profits.
By Steve Fernie, Strategic Programme Manager, Global Underwater Hub
As offshore wind continues to evolve, becoming one of our principal sources of low carbon energy, the available seabed space suitable for the installation of fixed turbines will shrink.