Oil sanctions: How effective are they?

I have been working in Syria on a gas project but had to leave because of the political situation there, Full Article

What is Longannet’s future? Now that’s the question

The biggest question at the heart of Scotland’s future power supply is not about renewables, though that is where the... Full Article

Why we need a UK National Oil Company

You’ll remember that around the New Year when the 30-year-old UK Cabinet papers were released it was revealed why the... Full Article

We told you so, Osborne

So the Treasury has screwed up big-time over its North Sea tax grab; or at least that’s how it seems.... Full Article

2012: shaping up to be a busy deals year

The past year has been a rollercoaster ride for oil and gas investors to say the least, with volatility being... Full Article

Increased spending masks darker tale

No doubt about it: investment in developing UK oil and gas reserves last year was strong, rising by at least... Full Article

It won’t enhance virility or cure baldness but you need this vitamin

What benefits would make you interested in vitamin D? Many of our male readers work offshore and may not be... Full Article

Tax and the Debt Crisis

The last few years have undoubtedly been some of the most turbulent in economic history. The tightening of credit conditions... Full Article

Shale gas - fuel of the future?

The shale gas industry is described as offering the potential for a revolution in the world energy market, which could... Full Article

Why confuse existing safety case?

MANY of you may be aware that when the European Commission announced its proposal to bring the whole of Europe’s... Full Article

Is shale gas all it is fracked up to be?

AS WE LOOK back over 2011 one of the areas of significant interest that has emerged in the oil and... Full Article

The mess that is Iraq and Kazakhstan

FOR many, the turning of the year is a time of reflection; especially what we could have and perhaps should... Full Article

Higgs Boson v the EU

I WONDER if it’s too late for me to become a physicist because I find the hunt for the Higgs... Full Article

Don’t cry for me, Argentina

ROCKHOPPER Exploration updated the market last month with interim results, and with them, a revision to its development plan for... Full Article

Central Asian opportunities and the threat of extremism

DESPITE the difficult security situation, some optimism surrounds the longer-term prospects of Afghanistan as an energy provider. Yet the northern... Full Article

New Year, new you?

HOW many of us decided in advance of Christmas and Hogmanay not to over-indulge, but when it came to it,... Full Article

Time’s up for offshore time-off cases

THE long-running saga around holidays for offshore workers appears finally to have been brought to a close, with the decision... Full Article

Ofgem discriminates illegally against islands

AT LEAST Ofgem delivered on one promise – that it would publish the findings of its catchily-named TransmiT exercise before... Full Article

High oil prices and the economic recession

SOME people used to call me Dr Gloom because of my economic forecasts for the Scottish economy. I felt that... Full Article

Government failure to answer key questions risks progress on CCS

The development of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology is an important step in the UK’s transition to a low-carbon economy. The potential is well known but, as yet, the technology has not been developed on a commercial basis.... Full Article

Oil & gas capital confidence - going for growth

ERNST & Young’s Global Capital Confidence Barometer is a regular survey of senior executives from large companies around the world... Full Article

Shetland’s second oil boom

I ENJOY visiting Shetland; I spent a lot of time there in the 1970s when the Sullom Voe oil terminal... Full Article

The myths of ‘jobs joy’

WHENEVER I see the words “jobs joy” in a headline, I skip the first six paragraphs in order to search... Full Article

Aberdeen and Bergen . . . North Sea twins?

I’VE just been in Norway; Bergen to be precise. The objective was to visit a number of key companies with... Full Article

Cutting solar tariffs . . . is it such a good idea?

I SOMETIMES wonder whether those in government actually have their brains wired up differently to the rest of us. Here... Full Article

Prostate cancer . . . not a head in the sand matter

LAST month you may have noticed more men than usual sporting a newly-grown moustache. This may well be due to... Full Article

‘Agreements to Agree’ – more enforceable than many people think

TRADITIONALLY, so-called “agreements to agree” were considered unenforceable under English and Scots law because they lacked the necessary certainty. Many... Full Article

Shale & Shale Alike

LAST month, a FTSE100 company announced plans to spend $4.5billion on developing its interests in various US gas fields. Nothing... Full Article

The Euro zone crisis is far from over

In the last month every twist and turn of the Greek debt negations and associated political machinations drove stock markets up and down with billions of pounds wiped or recovered from markets on a daily basis.... Full Article

Skills switch is an issue for renewables

Much has been made of the economic impact that the renewables industry could have on elevating Aberdeen from the oil and gas capital of Europe to the region’s energy capital.... Full Article

Fuelling the Dragon: China’s strategic oil & gas policy

THE world’s most-populous country, China, is also the second-largest consumer of oil; moreover, this huge country’s rapidly rising demand and... Full Article

North Sea safety: back off Brussels

OH DEAR, the meddlers at the European Commission are at it again . . . planning a raft of new... Full Article

Longannet is dead, but there are alternatives

LONGANNET is dead. Long live carbon capture and storage. The two statements are by no means incompatible, as some of... Full Article

Alarming decline in UKCS production

THE latest UKCS oil and production statistics from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) show big falls. June’s... Full Article

Should we ask Norway to run our Treasury?

THE announcement by BP of its intention to invest £4.5billion in the Clair Ridge development West of Shetland has quite... Full Article

EU plans offshore oil & gas safety law push but what does it mean for UK?

THE safety and environmental impact of the offshore oil and gas industry has, in past year or so, seen unprecedented... Full Article

A shadow over energy security in Uganda’s burgeoning oil sector

IN JANUARY 2009, Heritage Oil, in partnership with Tullow Oil, announced that exploration on concessions in the Lake Albert Basin... Full Article

Deal or No Deal?

THE level of global upstream oil and gas assets merger & acquisition activity was a little bit flat through early... Full Article

Making sense of the North Sea’s future

WHEN we at Oil & Gas UK recently published our 2011 Economic Report, we highlighted some pretty positive findings: increasing... Full Article

Golden Eagle platforms disappointment

So, the platforms for the Nexen-operated Golden Eagle project have gone to the Middle East, or more correctly the UAE-domiciled... Full Article

Private-equity involvement in energy sector on rise

The oil and gas industry has had much to celebrate lately; we have seen major projects coming on stream and... Full Article

The longer term future of the UKCS

THE announcement by BP that investment of £10billion is to be made on four major oil and gas developments in... Full Article

Politicians’ fine words, platitudes and pledges of support . . . yet more hot air?

With PM Cameron just having jetted into Aberdeen to grab a bit of positive publicity and Treasury first secretary Alexander... Full Article

Betraying future generations

I’ve just met three very smart young men, all working in the UK’s offshore industry and candidates in the Young Technician of the Year category of Oil & Gas UK’s soon to be announced 2011 Awards For several years, I have enjoyed the privilege of being a judge for the OGUK awards ...... Full Article

North Sea still awash with business opportunities

IN SPITE of its status as a mature province, the North Sea still presents substantial opportunities for organisations looking to ... Full Article

Bringing something new and fresh to the table

THE demand for energy is expected to grow significantly across the next two decades, with emerging economic regions becoming increasingly ... Full Article

Investing in renewable energy

THE offshore renewable power sector could benefit substantially from equity investors seeking new opportunities.... Full Article

Deals to be done

THE past 12 months have witnessed significant mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity in Scotland’s oil and gas market. ... Full Article

My vision for oil and gas

WE HAVE seen a great deal of praise for the renewable energy sector recently. Last week, former US Vice President... Full Article

13-year drilling low on UKCS

WHAT a difference a year makes. At the close of Q3 last year, 13 wells were active; just two more... Full Article

The Good, the Bad and the Indifferent

IN 1966, Sergio Leone directed Clint Eastwood in The Good the Bad and the Ugly. In recent months, three FTSE100... Full Article

Who says golfers and wind turbines are incompatible?

THERE’S a funny clip on YouTube of Donald Trump’s appearance on the David Letterman show on American television when he... Full Article

Meanwhile, back here on Planet Earth . . .

IT’S time for a reality check. Could we create over 100,000 jobs in Scotland’s renewable energy sector? Yes; of course... Full Article

Energy oligopolies . . . just as bad as monopolies

I WAS not pleased when I received my last electricity and gas bills, and even less so when I received... Full Article

Apache captures Beryl from Exxon

SO, APACHE has finally struck the deal that has generated so much speculation within the North Sea oil and gas... Full Article

Africa . . . a continent on the move

AFRICA is on an upward growth curve. This growth is underpinned by a long-term process of economic and regulatory reform... Full Article

Trio of opportunities beckon

THE Middle East and North Africa have been at the forefront of the news this year. They have always represented... Full Article

Preparing for winter

THE winter months loom ahead and the weather forecasters are already arguing as to whether we’re set for an extremely... Full Article

Setting the pace for fit and robust industry standards

THE date April 20, 2010, will be forever etched on the collective memory of the oil and gas industry. This... Full Article

At last... the penny drops

The knowledge and expertise of Scotland’s world leading oil and gas supply chain could help reduce costs of offshore wind operations by at least 20% according to research carried out for Scottish Enterprise.... Full Article

Economic Uncertainty Weighs on 2012 Spending Budgets

The inability of politicians in Europe and the US to take decisive action to convince the markets that we are not sliding into another financial tsunami... Full Article

Is Apache-ExxonMobil deal another Forties in the making?

IF APACHE’S achievements in the Forties field are anything of an indicator, then this £1.1billion deal is good news for ... Full Article

Nailing the Big Six

ABOUT three weeks ago, I spotted a loft insulation offer attached to the household gas bill. I rang the 0800 number provided and booked a survey in the hope that my home would boast dramatically enhanced loft insulation within a few weeks... Full Article

Rockhopper – the sprat that beats the mackerel

IT TICKLES me that it has taken an exploration junior to make the first commercial oil discovery in Falklands waters and that the selfsame company has decided to press ahead with the UK possession’s first field development … Sea Lion.... Full Article

Top notch Offshore Europe

IT'S been a brilliant Offshore Europe ... the best that I’ve experienced in 20 years of attending the Aberdeen show... Full Article

Management and hydrocarbon spills

HYDROCARBON spills were to the fore at Oil & Gas UK’s Offshore Europe 2011 breakfast and to a degree, the wider show. No surprise there given the emergency well capping device that has been unveiled here this week... Full Article

Time to be partisan

OFFSHORE Europe 2011 day one: for once there’s a decent new project announcement ... BP’s £700million Kinnoul satellite field that... Full Article

“The UK is not a well, fair state ...”

It is reasonable to say, given the current economic state of the nation, all is clearly not well and all... Full Article

A whining Aberdonian

Welcome to our new look and, we believe, dramatically improved web presence, with more news and features that ever before,... Full Article

Joint venturing on the rise in oil and gas sector

OIL and gas merger and acquisition activity was strong in 2010 and has continued in 2011. , Total global industry... Full Article

Risk and the Arab Spring

THE Arab Spring has caused massive upheaval in one of the world’s most strategic oil producing regions. The impact, however,... Full Article

Sending the right message to the leaders of tomorrow

DO WE deserve to attract the next generation? It’s a question I have been increasingly asking myself over the past... Full Article

Early interest in this year’s share fair from across UK

DELEGATES from supply chain companies throughout the UK are already signing up for the 2011 PILOT Share Fair, ensuring they... Full Article

Preparing for seasonal flu

FOR most people who are unfortunate enough to catch seasonal flu it is a very nasty experience, but for some... Full Article

Brazil nuts about growth

JUST as the threat of a double-dip recession reappears across North America and Europe, Brazil is reinforcing its position as... Full Article

Dreadful E&A year

EXPLORATION and appraisal activity levels on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) remains at nine mobile rigs operating. So far this... Full Article

New challenge on UKCS

IT’S been a fascinating story so far, hasn’t it? I was lucky enough to have been in right at the... Full Article

Coalition is ‘clueless’ over UK oil and gas

UKTI (UK Trade and Investment) will, as usual, be much in evidence during Offshore Europe, a biannual opportunity to showcase... Full Article

Showing the way forward

THE biennial Offshore Europe exhibition and conference kicks off in Aberdeen on September 6. Every other year the Offshore North... Full Article

The Rochelle determination

HERE WE go again, it’s Offshore Europe time and with it, an embarrassment of invitations to dinners and other corporate... Full Article

When the chips are down

Oil company execs and investors in oil and gas stocks have been rocked in the last few weeks by the slump in the value of their shareholdings.... Full Article

Jeremy Cresswell: ‘We need more than a belated apology from Shell’

Shell is having a rough time just now, with the Brent field having been out of action for many months... Full Article

Oiling the cogs of big business

MORE than ever before corporate corruption scandals are making the headlines. As the storm arising out of the News of... Full Article

Working to kick the dreaded weed

MOST of us by now know that smoking is bad for us and is linked to serious ill health. Just... Full Article

Coming to terms with Macondo

IT’S just over a year since the monstrous Macondo oil spillage was finally stopped on July 15, 2010 – more... Full Article

Facing up to the challenges of the new UK Bribery Act

THE introduction of the Bribery Act 2010 on July 1 represented the biggest change to UK laws in respect of... Full Article

Huhne’s white paper – it’s common sense

THERE have been other matters jostling for the headlines these past few weeks, so perhaps it’s no surprise that the... Full Article

Have we the energy for Scottish independence?

IF EVER there was an issue that has resulted in some of the most outrageous and irresponsible commentary from people... Full Article

IEA looks to pour oil on troubled markets

FEW readers of Energy will be particularly familiar with the work of the International Energy Agency (IEA). The Paris-based body... Full Article

Not North Sea tax again.

Fiscal stability? What’s that? You don’t get it on the UK Continental Shelf, even if politicians like Mr Osborne promise it, because they then go and renege.... Full Article

A sentimental journey

In theory, putting a value on an oil and gas exploration and production company should be relatively straight forward. The... Full Article

Latin America: minimise the risks and reap the rewards

LATIN America is widely recognised as home to the upstream petroleum industry’s most promising markets for the supply chain and... Full Article

Recipe for a fruitful takeover

IT ALL sounds easy. Take two small to medium-sized businesses, add a dash of private equity, three seasoned oil and... Full Article

A sense of realism is badly needed

THERE was a letter in one of the daily papers a few days ago that stated that “hundreds of vessels... Full Article

Investing in the right stuff

IF YOU really want to annoy me you can do one of two things: talk to me about football or... Full Article

Toothless watchdog does nothing about ScottishPower

SO THIS time it was ScottishPower’s turn to go first in the latest round of that great British institution, utility... Full Article

‘Doing OK but must get better’

FROM time to time over the past 20 years, I have been critical of the UK oil and gas supply... Full Article

North-east firms in renewables lead

THE countdown to Offshore Europe 2011 has begun, with the roll-out of this bi-annual event now just weeks away. This... Full Article

Getting it right first never more critical

MANAGING the complexity of major capital projects in today’s oil and gas landscape has never been more critical. Against the... Full Article

Pondering nuclear

FOLLOWING the partial nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station in March this year, nuclear power has been... Full Article