The North Sea was in its infancy.
And still experts from the world over were flying in to see how the monstrous structures – incredible feats of engineering – were being built in such unforgiving conditions.
Despite its newness, the North Sea had already earned its world-class reputation.
Oil and Gas Technology Centre (OGTC) chairman Archie Kennedy found himself at the centre of its unfolding story.
The North Sea veteran first joined the industry in the late 70s.
“I came out of university at a time when there was demand for engineers. The energy industry and oil and gas was new and exciting and little bit mysterious, because it was offshore,” he said.
“We were actually going through the phase of putting in the really huge platforms. I was involved in the Hutton tension leg platform.
“I was the OIM, so I was into technology sharing, because we had folks come from all around the world to see this masterful piece of technology.
“It literally was the Rolls Royce of the North Sea. That was a great thing to be part of.
“We saw that sort of technology and then we saw the direction drilling and 3D seismic. Those sorts of technology made the North Sea so valuable. That was breakthrough technology we deployed, because we had to.
“You had to get these massive structures offshore and once you had them offshore, you had to drill the right areas. At that point, because we were just in an environment where we had to deploy new technology, it became the norm. And then we got a little bit risk adverse when it came to technology deployment in the North Sea. Some areas caught up and others overtook us – things like automation and robotics.”
And now more than three decades later, Mr Kennedy finds himself once again at the heart of a technological revolution.
At 58 years old he was recruited by Sir Ian Wood to help steer the industry-first OGTC.
“He invited me round to his office and it was out of the blue,” he said.
“I came in as his understudy for a few months and then he moved on to ONE.”
Mr Kennedy saw the role as an opportunity to give back to the industry, which helped him build a successful career.
“I fundamentally want the industry and the north-east to be successful and believe technology plays a role in that and can be a force for good.
“I want to give back because this industry has been good to me. If there’s an opportunity to help the industry that’s why I’m doing it.”
2017 served as his first year in the post.
“We’ve achieved some really tangible outcomes this first year. We had that frightening blank page and big cheque and we had to create a governance process that ensured we spent the money on technology people wanted, that would make a difference and that we could measure that difference. And then from every pound we got from government we had to raise a pound from the industry in either cash or in kind.
“That was one of the things starting out, bearing in mind that when we did, we were nervous – would we get to the commitment and the buy-in. In actual fact, that has been one of our most successful stories. We are getting more than one-pound matching, as it were.”
OGTC achieved its buy-in amid the most debilitating downturn to date.
“I have been through several cycles and they are all different,” Mr Kennedy said.
“This one is quite different insofar as the duration. I think it’s been obviously tough for the oil companies, but it’s been really tough for the supply chain, because it has gone on much longer than the cycles in living memory.
“I do think that we are learning from this. I think the ability to collaborate in a true sense has been forced upon us through this cycle. I hope that we don’t forget these lessons. There’s always a danger of that, so folks like me need to keep reminding people to collaborate. We need to continue to focus on the essentials like technology development. We need to be brave about technology and hopefully we will be stronger coming out of it.”
But for a man who has “seen it all before” his focus is now on the unknown.
“Undoubtedly we’re going to see more automation and robotics,” he said.
“Undoubtedly we’re going to see Big Data and Artificial Intelligence. We’re going to see the use of equipment that is more flexible and probably reusable.
“There’s a whole list of themes, but there’s also the things we don’t know that we don’t know. That’s what’s exciting about the OGTC.
“The industry is really coming together. There’s more resilience in the supply chain. There’s been some expansion into other industries like renewables, probably not ideally as much as we would like to see, but there’s determination and resilience and more importantly a willingness to work together.
“It’s about recognising that in some areas companies are competitors, but not in all areas.
“We’ve seen a more grown-up approach.”
The shift in the basin make-up is also fuelling technology’s shift closer to the sector’s core, according to Mr Kennedy.
“I’m in the cup half full camp,” Mr Kennedy said.
“I think it’s really important that we have both the large and small players. That mix is healthy. We’ve seen partnerships that share risk, we need to keep encouraging that and we need to encourage more collaborations with the supply chain like longer term contractual relationships.
“Those sorts of things are just a more mature way of doing business.”
The basin’s and OGTC’s success in responding to the downturn will be measured by the way the North Sea’s story and influence spreads, according to Mr Kennedy.
“The technologies developed here need to be exported throughout the world,” he added.
“That will be the success story for not just Scotland but the UK as a whole.
“I think we will all be winners if we can come through having learned from the experience and be prepared to deploy technology, be prepared to be a little bit less risk averse and be prepared to work together.
“We can all be winners if we use this as a learning experience. It’s been quite a bruising three or four years, let’s be honest, but we’re starting to see some shoots of recovery.”
The OGTC currently has more than 60 members, double its original projections, investigated more than 300 technologies and is currently managing 100 narrowed scopes.
“We’re seeing companies coming in, open to ideas and actively willing to work with small entities,” he said.
“The fact is that there’s an openness, maybe because of the adversity people went through, but it’s much more evident.
“I don’t know if we’re out of the cycle, but when we look back at this 20 years from now we’ll see that we started the OGTC and I hope we are able to plot what it delivered over the years.
“I would like the North Sea to again be recognised as a place for excellence, not just technology, but safety and everything. If I play a part in that, that’s enough.”
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