Opinion: You don’t have to be mad to set up a new oil business…
Starting up a new business in the current VUCA, (Volatile, Uncertain, Ambiguous and Complex) oil and gas industry may, at first glance, appear an act of some madness - but bear with me.
Opinion
Opinion: GE investors won’t have Immelt to kick around anymore
Jeff Immelt, the embattled CEO of General Electric Co., is doing the right thing by moving on. It's now up to his successor to finish what he started.
Opinion: Decommissioning – an inconvenient truth
An article about decommissioning in Energy prompts me once again to question the logic in widespread investment across UK harbours for this market. I just can’t see how this makes sense. Where is the business case that supports all this investment?
Opinion: Next government must deliver energy diversity…in a strong, stable way
There can be few people in the UK who will not welcome some respite from hearing the phrase “strong and stable” but for those of us working in energy, a strong and stable energy policy is just what is required.
Opinion: Oil industry in good hands, despite revolving Westminster door
I believe it is only a matter of days and weeks at most before PM Theresa May has her day in the forum. The knives are out for the Tory leader, make no mistake.
Opinion: What is the real future of oil and gas in the UK?
Ahead of the General Election, I read with interest the Oil & Gas UK Blueprint for Government - 2017 that outlines four key priorities for the next UK Government to help secure the future of the North Sea oil and gas industry.
Opinion: The changing face of national oil companies
The structural decline in oil price — with current prices at less than half of their 2014 peak — has triggered immense pressure for national oil companies (NOCs) to transform. Having developed along with the rest of the industry in an environment where maximization of production and hydrocarbon reserves were the key objectives, they have had to shift rapidly to targeting returns to their state shareholder. Simply put, the focus has shifted from volume to value.
Opinion: Technology a key enabler to our mutual prosperity
There are enough green shoots to suggest recovering upstream activity. Expro EVP Alistair Geddes shares some of what the group is doing to play its part.
Jeremy Cresswell: ABZ – it’s transition time!
As I write this, parliamentary candidates of all hues are going hammer and tongs at one another in what has become a vicious battle for political supremacy in the UK.
Opinion: Trump’s America risks ceding world leadership after Paris withdrawal
Trump’s decision is yet another of his political melodramas – but sadly for Washington it plays right into the hands of the Chinese. The US is ceding political and leadership of arguably the greatest issue facing mankind – and potentially even more worrying, he’s also handing the economic leadership of decarbonisation to China.
Playing leapfrog: Cash skipping a generation
A thriving Bank of Granny and Grandad means more of their cash is playing leapfrog. Steven McKnight, principal partner in the Aberdeen office of St James’s Place Wealth Management explains why
Opinion: The Mexican energy market’s four year evolution
Since 1935 the Mexican energy sector had been closed to all private investment but in 2013 the Mexican Constitution was reformed in order to open the energy sector to private investors. The reforms included both the oil and gas sector and electric generation.
Opinion: The colourful fight for the energy vote
The next UK Government, of whatever colour, will face important challenges when it comes to energy. As the UK has traditionally been a net-importer of energy, there will be a fresh focus on how we will generate and consume energy, make it as secure as possible and ensure we use it efficiently as part of the UK’s industrial strategy.
Opinion: Petrofac shows the heavy price of reputational risk
When a regulator or fraud-buster targets a company for investigation, a financial penalty is often around the corner. In the case of British oil services firm Petrofac, it's the reputational risk that's looking pricier than the potential fine.
Opinion: Crude could hit $60 if nations stick to output cuts
As expected following comments ahead of the meeting on behalf of Saudi Arabia and Russia, OPEC members have agreed to prolong the existing production curtailment (a cut of 1.8m bbl/d including Russia’s cuts) to the first quarter of 2018. OPEC has a self-imposed goal of bringing stocks down from a record high of 3bn bbls to the five-year average of 2.7bn bbls.
Opinion: Oil price predictions following the OPEC vote
Commenting on the direction of future oil prices may seem an exercise in futility given the history of both volatility in price, and the propensity of very well informed people to call the market wrong.
New privacy law will help oil and gas sector to get more out of data
The focus and drive towards greater innovation in the oil and gas sector is setting new goals and creating new boundaries. A fundamental aspect of the industry’s advancement is people, and one of the main changes tech will deliver is a more in-depth understanding of how employees work.
Opinion: Today’s Stunted Oil Prices Could Cause Oil Price Shock In 2020
As oil prices remain unsteady and OPEC continues to make headlines every hour, the world is focused on oil's immediate future. As Saudi Arabia announces plans to slash production and move their economy away from oil dependency, many industry insiders are predicting that the now over-saturated market will reach an equilibrium with higher commodity prices by 2018 and U.S. shale production will continue to grow along with global demand.
Production cuts have worked, but we need an extension, Kemp and de Leeuw say
Oil nation’s efforts to re-balance the market via a deal on production cuts have worked, industry experts said, adding that extending the agreement is the right move.
Opinion: Fuelling change for energy companies of all sizes
The energy sector faces prolonged and significant pressures, not least in the form of "lower for longer" oil prices and a political drive for decarbonisation and investment in renewable sources. In a sector often slow to change, the industry’s largest players need to look at how they will drive efficiencies and adapt business models in order to secure competitive advantage.
Opinion: Shale is just a scapegoat for weaker oil prices:
When the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries gathers in Vienna this week, members and non-OPEC oil producers are likely to extend the production cuts put in place in November as a way to shore up prices, which have been choppy this month. Whatever the final details look like, a mix of oil-bullish policy and jawboning are likely to be on the menu.
Disruption and Decommissioning … what are you waiting for?
Decommissioning a well is an unavoidable cost and a logistical challenge. There is no economic upside, financial incentive or obvious cause to be enthusiastic about decommissioning. The cost is uncapped, unknown and can be, frankly, more than a little unnerving.
Will oil prices surge after Opec meeting?
Oil prices could touch highs last seen in April when the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) convenes its next meeting in Vienna on 25th of May, WisdomTree’s Nizam Hamid has said.
Opinion: Renewables industry must keep up momentum
So now we wait. Having arrested its freefall down the RECAI rankings, the UK renewables landscape has settled for the time being. Investors will now look to the new UK Government to provide a clear vision for the future. Whether they will get it remains to be seen; politics seldom provides the clarity that businesses crave. This state of flux is becoming very familiar.
Talks over laptops on US flights from Europe end with no ban
Talks on a proposed US ban on laptops and tablets in flights from Europe ended with no ban - and a promise of more talks and better intelligence sharing.