Opinion: Don’t hold your breath for deeper OPEC cuts
The rally in oil prices over the past two weeks came to a halt on Wednesday on news that OPEC is actually exporting more oil than previously thought.
Opinion
Brian Wilson: How reliant should the UK be on imported gas?
How reliant should the UK become on imported gas? It is a longstanding question that politicians prefer not to be asked because the answers would inevitably lead to further interrogation about the parlous state of our energy policy.
Opinion: Grenfell parallels Piper Alpha
There can hardly be a single one of us who wasn’t aware of and touched by last month’s Grenfell Tower disaster. The images, stories and indeed the mere idea of people trapped within a blazing structure had a massive – and immediate - impact on our society. The resulting social unrest, calls for legislative change and national programme of health and safety checks have continued to hit the headlines in recent weeks. Unfortunately, the catalyst required to call an enquiry was a fatal disaster, but from what I read, it appears that things are moving fast to ensure that tower block fire safety procedures will now change for the better.
Opinion: Transformational technologies – learning from the past
The Oil and Gas Technology Centre (OGTC) is calling for technologies to transform how we develop the remaining UKCS hydrocarbons. That prompted me to think about transformational technologies I’ve seen in my 40-plus years as a chemical engineer. Could we learn from past innovations?
Opinion: Don’t hold your breath for deeper Opec cuts
The recent rally in oil prices came to a halt this week on news that Opec is actually exporting more oil than previously thought.
Opinion: Remembering Piper Alpha
As an apprentice at Dounreay back in July 1988, I remember very clearly travelling the 22 miles from Thurso across the far north east corner of Scotland to Wick, to look out to sea.
Opinion: Oil and gas innovation – can it really be simple?
The oil and gas industry has an interesting relationship with innovation.
Roger Esson: Decom the new North Sea reality
Most of us are aware of the decommissioning projects that have made the headlines in recent months. To some, a ground-breaking event like the single lift removal of the Brent Delta topside might be sufficient reason alone to place decommissioning on the Offshore Europe agenda.
Oil giant’s boss needs to follow Donald Trump on Twitter
Total SA CEO Patrick Pouyanne isn’t a prolific Twitter user. While he follows the account of French president Emmanuel Macron, Donald Trump doesn’t make the cut.
Opinion: Consolidation is key for oilfield services improvement
Oil and Gas industry analysts have been struggling for some time to accurately forecast how the oil price will move throughout 2017, with many predictions varying widely.
Jeremy Cresswell: We cannot afford another Piper Alpha
Twenty-nine years have passed since, on July 6, 1988, the Piper Alpha production platform blew up killing 167 offshore personnel, including two rescue boat crew.
Opinion: Supply and demands – what to ask of an oil and gas manufacturer in 2017?
Operators and engineering, procurement and construction companies (EPCs) don’t need telling that times have been hard. To maintain margins, they’ve asked more of their assets and of their people. But should they also be asking more of the supply chain and manufacturers in particular in 2017?
Back on track: Income protection scheme benefits are helping people get back to work quicker after sickness or injury
Many employers will be aware that group income protection can be extremely effective in helping to manage long-term sickness and the associated costs.
Opinion: Is there still hope for higher oil prices?
Oil prices have cratered in recent weeks, dipping to their lowest levels in more than seven months and any sense of optimism has almost entirely disappeared. All signs point to a period of "lower for longer" for oil prices, a refrain that is all too familiar to those in the industry.
Jeremy Cresswell: Waking the Kraken … a complex tale for sure
It’s very good news that Enquest has manage to successfully bring the UKCS Quadrant 9 Kraken heavy oilfield onstream, 22 years after oil was first encountered in 1985.
Opinion: Global Mobility – struggling to keep track?
We live in a fast-paced world, where geography is no longer a barrier to prompt and effective service delivery. Social media has heightened user expectations of instant communication and collaboration, and data is fuelling business insight.
Opinion: A day in the life of the modern field operator
How data collection and reporting of mission critical information become a whole lot easier with mobile technology, making pumping by exception a reality
Opinion: OPEC looks totally bewildered as the oil market reshapes
It may be too soon to write OPEC's obituary, but the oil producer club appears in urgent need of late-life care. It shows little understanding of where it is, how it got there or where it's going. While it still manages to collect new members here and there, its core group looks more fragile than at any point in nearly 30 years.
Opinion: US power responding to shifting market dynamics
Aneesh Prabhu, S&P global ratings’ director, considers how shifting market dynamics are affecting hedging strategies and management.
Road greenhouse gases and air pollution action ‘may bring big tax receipts hole’
Urgent action is needed to tackle both greenhouse gases and air pollution from road transport - but it could leave a multibillion-pound hole in annual tax receipts, a report warns.
Opinion: Oil price unlikely to increase as oversupply continues
Oil prices set to remain weak, amid continued oversupply
Opinion: The big green job switch
The renewables market has undergone something of a transformation in recent years and is now recognised as one of the major employment hubs across the energy sector. But why has this transformation occurred and what does it mean for skills and the jobs market?
Opinion: OGA becoming a key North Sea asset
It strikes me that the UK’s Oil & Gas Authority (OGA) is genuinely settling into its stride as a North Sea asset in its own right.
Opinion: Offshore wind is making waves globally
Driven by technological advancements and falling costs, the number of offshore wind projects is rapidly increasing – which is making an impact across the global renewables energy market. Luisina Berberian, associate director, Infrastructure Finance Ratings, S&P Global Ratings, considers the factors driving offshore wind projects, as well as the challenges they are yet to overcome.
Opinion: Oil prices are set to rebound
The latest selloff in oil prices have left speculators in a predicament: The fundamentals continue to look poor with unimpressive drawdowns in crude oil stocks, but there is a general consensus that the extension of the OPEC deal should push the market towards a rebalancing over the next few quarters.