David Whitehouse: The UK can be a net zero hero
Making the most of the UK's resources is the best pathway to energy security and net zero.
Insights
Taking stock after a historic week for the north-east’s energy sector
The UK Government’s energy announcements this week have big implications for all parts of the sector and the drive towards Net Zero.
Sunak announcement emphasizes importance of a strong domestic energy industry
In a recent announcement, Rishi Sunak has highlighted the need for the United Kingdom to maintain a significant fossil fuel industry to avoid overreliance on foreign energy imports.
Scottish energy secretary hits out at UK Government ‘lack of focus’ on just transition
Scottish Energy Secretary Neil Gray has responded to the UK Government’s North Sea and CCUS announcements.
Graham Stuart: Building on North Sea legacy is critical to UK’s energy future
UK energy minister Graham Stuart discusses the government's CCUS investment and its decision to back further North Sea licences
Embracing change: developing standard contracts for offshore wind
The International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) announced earlier this month that they have begun work on a new standard contract form for offshore wind farm projects. A committee of experts including engineers, contractors and project specialists are working to produce the new contract, likely by the end of 2025.
Oil, gas and wind must push government on electrification opportunity
Electrification of oil and gas platforms not only supports lower carbon emissions offshore, but it also has huge potential to deliver energy security through power back to the UK grid, writes Flotation Energy's Barry MacLeod.
Offshore safety brought into focus by HSE findings – but simple steps can help save lives
After an Energy Voice report on HSE last month, Drager's Paul Davidson assesses some steps firms should take.
Namibia needs an independent upstream regulator
Namibia has recently gained significant attention as a result of the offshore discoveries by TotalEnergies and Shell in 2022. Namibia seems on its way to becoming a major oil and gas producer.
Opinion: Aberdeen’s energy success is ‘underpinned’ by local supply chain
Owing in large part to the oil and gas industry built up over the last 50 years, Aberdeen and north-east Scotland has gained a global reputation for being pioneering, identifying and delivering innovative solutions for the sector that are the envy of the world over.
A letter to Labour: North Sea licensing can be achieved clean, compliant and without a cliff-edge
New UK fields are globally insignificant relative to hubs like Qatar, writes Graham Goffey, but the industry is economically important to the UK.
Brian Wilson: Calling for a ‘route map’ for the renewables supply chain
Keith Anderson, chief executive of Scottish Power, was on the radio the other day and I almost cheered.
HSE: An increased cost recovery on the horizon
Regulation of safety in the energy sector is uniquely challenging in high-hazard environments, particularly with increasing pressures to innovate to achieve the transition to net zero and provide energy security.
The vexed question of energy feedstock
In October 2018, the International Energy Agency published a report on the future of the petrochemicals industry, arguing that it was a Cinderella in the global energy futures conversation.
Energy infrastructure is a matter of national health and safety
In my view the integrity of the energy system is actually an issue of national health and safety in that its disruption would cause chaos and create a major threat to life as indeed the awful events in Ukraine have shown us only too graphically.
Our business is our people – if we take care of them, they will take care of us
Mental health initiatives and support are often introduced reactively when there is already a problem.
Mind the gap: Why it’s time for a higher bar on UK battery safety legislation
The UK’s transition to renewable energy is well underway and we’re moving at pace towards our net-zero goals.
Parametric insurance and renewable pathways in Africa
Parametric insurance addresses these challenges by enhancing investment certainty and facilitating cash flow, whilst protecting against the broadest range of potential perils.
OPINION: With so many strict regulations in place, how was the Titan sub tragedy allowed to happen?
The Titan sub situation is very rare, but swift action must be taken to ensure nothing like it happens again, writes a former subsea engineer.
INWED: Why more women should enter the field of engineering
Solving problems, working as part of a diverse team and delivering projects that really make a difference - engineering is an exciting professional choice.
It’s time to rethink wind yields
Wind farms today are not generating the power indicated by energy yield assessments. A significant body of industry research is pointing to pre-construction energy yield assessments (EYAs) being overestimated, when compared to the turbines in operation onsite. One paper shows that European EYA assessments overestimate yield by an average of 8.9%.
Opinion: Cutting demand and reducing reliance on fossil fuels
While the debate over whether to grant new licences for oil and gas developments in the North Sea continues to dominate headlines, the major challenge lies in reducing reliance and demand for fossil fuels overall.
Why financing the energy transition needs a radical shift
Notwithstanding all the rhetoric, pledges and promises, 27 COPs, as well as genuine progress and notable effort in some areas, the global energy mix has not really changed from an 80:20 fossil fuel to renewables ratio over the last 30 years.
Holding Big Green to the same emissions standards as Big Oil
I’m currently trying to get my head around the thorny issue of carbon emissions from Big Oil, especially with regard to the complexities of how they are variously classified as Scopes 1, 2 and 3.
Shell on the front line of climate change litigation
Companies are under increasing social, economic and regulatory pressure to contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions. In particular NGOs are trying to exert additional pressure by undertaking legal action. Such climate change litigation typically aims to force businesses to reduce emissions, pay for damages caused or take steps to mitigate the effects of climate change. The global number of climate change litigation cases is increasing rapidly as public awareness of climate change and its consequences increases, too.