Need for smarter regulation of UKCS
The UK oil&gas industry has a considerable challenge on its hands to maximise recovery of the nation's remaining 25billion barrels of oil&gas from beneath the seabed.
Oil & Gas
Do you recall the last time?
THE stock market is on a roller-coaster ride, and so are oil prices. We have moved very quickly from July's figure of $147 a barrel to about half that level. On September 29, oil fell by $10 in one day, but it is worthwhile to reflect that, back in 1995, the price of oil was $10 barrel.
The times they are a changin’ – again
Whether your credit is being crunched, squeezed or wiped out, there is no escaping the way the world is changing shape again.
Sterling’s East Breagh drilling high point for October
TEN exploration and appraisal wells are currently active on the UKCS, although that count is 11 if Caithness's Middle Jurassic Lybster appraisal on block 11/24 of the Inner Moray Firth is included, being drilled from an onshore location. But just two wells were spudded in October, both in the Northern North Sea - Total's well 8/15-2 on the Palaeocene Sailor prospect, which is imminently to re-spud, and Sterling's well 210/29a-4 on the Middle Jurassic Cladhan prospect.
Kidnap and ransom
When asking students on our hostile environments courses, "What is the biggest threat to your safety and security when operating in .........", this blank could be filled with "West Africa", "The Middle East" or "South America", among many other areas. But their answer, without fail, is "kidnap".
International graduations hat-trick for RGU
ABERDEEN'S Robert Gordon University (RGU) has become the first UK university to hold Masters level graduation ceremonies in three overseas locations for students on corporate oil&gas industry-related programmes. Cappings have been held in Kazakhstan, Algeria and, most recently, Venezuela.
University launches four new degrees
ENERGY is a key element in four new degree programmes just launched by Aberdeen University with a view to the first intake of students kicking-off their studies in September, 2009.
Answer to voltage dips in wind
There are some very smart young minds working in the renewables sector these days - witness the work of Jesus Lopez Taberna, who very recently successfully defended his PhD thesis on how to protect wind turbines against sudden dips in grid voltages.
All the colours of the solar-power rainbow
AMERICAN researchers have created a new material that overcomes two of the major obstacles to solar power: it absorbs all the energy contained in sunlight and generates electrons in a way that makes them easier to capture.
Those magnificent men in their amazing wind turbine machine
The land yacht based on a simple frame with wheels and a small sail has been around for a long time and it was only a matter of time before something revolutionary happened to bring the concept into the 21st century.
Summing up success in practical mathematics
NO FEWER than 126 pupils from 24 schools and accompanied by 13 teachers have just competed in the 2008 Maths in the Pipeline contest.
Aberdeen firm out to cut subsea costs
Aberdeen-owned MCS has just completed trials that could lead to BP adopting apparently more cost-effective inspection methods to establish the integrity of rigid subsea pipeline infrastructure associated with its deepwater assets.
Failed offshore medicals surely food for thought
As the largest provider of offshore medicals for Oil & Gas UK, one of the most common reasons we at Abermed give for failing the examination is being overweight or obese.
Promising deepwater finds for BP and Eni
OFFSHORE Brazil may be the current star, but large new hydrocarbon finds have lately been reported on both sides of the Atlantic, in particular offshore Angola and, stretching the definition of Atlantic a bit, the US Gulf of Mexico.
NOAA’s ocean carbon quest
US AGENCY NOAA (National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration) and the National Science Foundation have commissioned the first comprehensive national study of how carbon-dioxide emissions absorbed into the oceans may be altering fisheries, marine mammals, coral reefs and other natural resources. The work will be carried out by the US National Academy of Sciences.
Joint venture wins Kashagan FEED contract
AKER Solutions, in joint venture with WorleyParsons and CB&I, has received a letter of intent to the value of $31million for the Kashagan Full Field Development FEED (front-end engineering and design) contract from Agip KCO, operator of the Kashagan consortium, Kazakhstan North Caspian Operation Company.
Stakeholders are put in the picture
INDUSTRY, government and community representatives were given an update on how Amec is faring at the annual external stakeholder event at Aberdeen's Marcliffe Hotel.
Bigger and better is cue for Solstad
IT WAS party time at the opening of larger and newly refurbished offices for Solstad Offshore (UK) at Salvesen Tower, Aberdeen.
Wave and tidal power strategy vital for Scotland
Scotland risks losing its position as the global leader in wave and tidal power unless steps are taken to put in place vital infrastructure, according to the head of a green-energy trade body
Dyas taking £40m slice of North Sea explorer’s assets
Ithaca Energy, a Canadian oil and gas explorer focused on the UK North Sea, has agreed a deal to sell 25.25% of all its assets to Dyas UK for £40million in cash.
Global banking crisis benefits China’s NOCs
Where this will take the country's energy strategy from here is unclear, but some observers believe China is unlikely to push too aggressively in other areas of possible controversy, such as the widely disputed Spratley Islands (Nansha islands, in Chinese) in the South China Sea, and the Diaoyu (Senkaku, in Japanese) islands, over which it contests ownership with Japan, in the East China Sea.
Centrica seeks £2.2bn to help fund nuclear stake
BRITISH Gas firm Centrica said yesterday it planned to tap shareholders for £2.2billion to fund the acquisition of a 25% stake in nuclear generator British Energy (BE).
Targeting deep offshore
LAST year, PetroChina announced its Jidong Nanpu discovery in Bohai Bay, which could be China's biggest oil find in 50 years, at an estimated 7billion barrels.
OMV prepares to battle Tornado
OMV is seeking to reduce its exposure to risk at the Tornado prospect west of Shetland by farming out a large chunk of the licences which it straddles prior to drilling early next year.
Iran, Qatar and Russia setting up Opec clone
LONG talked about, the three biggest players in the global gas game are joining forces to create an Opec-style cartel. This, in turn, will drive up gas prices, especially in Europe.