The clock is ticking for Scotland to join shale gas revolution
Fracking in the UK poses its own unique challenges but I believe it is still a worthwhile resource to pursue, writes Murdo Fraser.
Insights
Oil and gas industry inquiry comes at ‘critical point’, says Sir Ian Wood
Sir Ian, who retired last year as chairman of Aberdeen-based oil services firm Wood Group, said maximising oil and gas recovery was “immensely important” for Britain’s economy.
Sir Ian Wood to head up new government review of UK oil and gas industry
The Wood Group founder will oversee the independently-led review announced by UK energy secretary Ed Davey today.
Energy companies must be prepared to maintain communications chain
The energy sector is uniquely positioned in terms of its communication requirements. Offshore operations, maritime integration and onshore offices are all elements within a tightly meshed chain. One link in the chain breaks and the integrity of the whole organisation can be seriously damaged.
Super Puma survey shows industry needs satisfaction over safety answers
You would be hard pressed to have made it through the past week without being drawn into the discussion about the EC225 offshore helicopters that are currently out of service – and with good reason.
Blue water health quest
Most companies understand the value of improving the health of their employees. It requires effective top down management including:
Accelerating oil & gas careers… virtually anywhere
There are big changes happening in the world of well control training that are going to make it even easier for people to drive their careers in the oil and gas industry.
25 years after Piper Alpha, are we taking a backward step?
It is ironic that just as we are approaching the 25th anniversary of the Piper Alpha disaster when 167 men lost their lives and many were seriously injured, the Government has made a change which will remove the right to claim compensation based on breach of, among others, the very health and safety regulations introduced following Lord Cullen's report into Piper Alpha.
Piper 25: Taking stock for the future
Few will need to be reminded that next month marks the 25th anniversary of the Piper Alpha disaster. As the world's worst offshore incident, it claimed the lives of 167 men and cast a dark shadow over everyone and everything connected to oil and gas for a long time afterwards.
Ofgem’s ‘light touch’ regulation policy could be factor in price manipulation
A few years ago I did a study on oil prices for Christine Lagarde, then the French finance minister and now the head of the International Monetary Fund, writes Tony Mackay.
Risky business: threats and opportunities
A new entrant to the top 10 of risks is IT security, specifically the threat to companies' operations of cyber attacks.
Brian Wilson: Tuning into Holyrood … by accident
Brian Wilson on the rumblings of political point-scoring rhetoric cascading through the airwaves
Rotterdam challenge aims to inspire young engineers to push boundaries of fuel efficiency
More than 3,000 students took on the ultimate challenge in energy-efficient driving on the streets of Rotterdam last month.
Jeremy Cresswell: Piper Alpha and the generation gap
It might seem odd choosing this issue of Energy to mark the 25th year since the Piper Alpha disaster of July 6, 1988, but we have taken our cue from the North Sea industry's three-day Piper25 conference on June 18-20.
Dick Winchester: A question of trust
When it was announced that BP, Shell, Statoil and maybe others we don't know about were being investigated by the European Union for potentially having manipulated the oil price I have to admit to not being at all surprised. Disappointed and concerned perhaps but not actually surprised.
Senergy works with university to solve crucial shortage
A pioneering collaboration aimed at inspiring the next generation of much-needed petrophysicists into the energy sector has been launched at Aberdeen University.
Rachel finds marine policy not just for the birds
A Scottish masters programme was Rachel Furlong's launch pad into the world of renewable energy.
Fiasco of the EU carbon emissions trading scheme
The European Union is going through a difficult period, mainly because of the economic recession.
Renewables poised to eclipse power generation old guard
By the end of this year, it is likely that renewables will be the country's main source of electricity, providing more power than nuclear, coal or gas. Far from being "alternative energy", renewables is now a major part of our energy mix, and a significant part of Scotland's economy.
Does the Treasury care about renewables at all?
The "system" the government has set up isn't aimed at creating a renewables industry but developing mechanisms to achieve the various government policy aims on carbon emission reductions, percentage of electricity from renewable sources and so on and so forth, writes Dick Winchester.
Don’t be polite to the elephants in the room
It doesn't quite match Edinburgh Zoo's two pandas in its enclosure, but All Energy will have two elephants in the room, writes Brian Wilson
Uncertainty, complacency, inertia
It is not just the UK where confusion reigns over providing affordable, low carbon energy - but the entire European Union, it seems, writes Jeremy Cresswell.
Europe’s North Sea energy powerhouse shows its mettle
Many visitors to Scotland are somewhat astounded to learn that inventors from our country have created some of the most important devices to improve our life in the modern age . . . the telephone, television, refrigerator, penicillin and MRI scanner, to name just a few.
Brazilian presence proved key for companies in licensing round
On 14 May, the ANP, Brazil’s national oil licensing agency released the results of its 11th bidding round for oil and gas rights, the first for five years.
Pursuit of North Sea safety the best way to honour Lord Cullen’s work
Think of safety, remember Piper Alpha. Lord Cullen's groundbreaking report laid the foundation for a new era of safety in the oil and gas industry.