<a class="title--block__link -animate" href="https://www.energyvoice.com/category/opinion">OPINION

Wintershall’s local subsidiary has signed two exploration and production-sharing agreements (EPSAs) with Libya’s National Oil Corp. (NOC) after compromising on licence terms.

Africa

Gas supply agreements struck for Nigeria LNG

13/12/2019

Nigeria LNG (NLNG) has signed gas supply agreements (GSAs) to supply three of its existing trains – plus the seventh, which is yet to reach a final investment decision (FID).

Shell inks new $10bn credit facility to progress to net carbon footprint

13/12/2019

Oil and gas giant Shell has announced the agreement of a new $10 billion revolving credit facility to help progress the firm towards its net carbon footprint.

Africa

Sudan pushes for US sanctions relief

13/12/2019

Pressure is mounting on the US to reconsider sanctions on Sudan, where the former president was driven from office in April.

Politics: Conservatives win majority in UK election

13/12/2019 by Daniel O'Donoghue

Boris Johnson was on course for a historic victory this morning after voters across large swathes of the UK backed his plan to “get Brexit done”.

Tory environmentalist Zac Goldsmith loses seat in General Election

13/12/2019 by Energy Reporter

Leading Tory environmentalist Zac Goldsmith has lost his seat as the constituency of Richmond Park changed hands for the third time in three years.

Valaris 121 heading off from Dundee Port on Sunday. Pic courtesy of Pirate Boats.

One-Dyas confirms oil discovery in southern North Sea

13/12/2019

Dutch firm One-Dyas has confirmed an oil discovery with its Ossian-Darach well in the southern North Sea.

New machinery at Hydrasun, Gateway Business Park, Moss Road, Aberdeen
Picture of (L-R) Bob Drummond (CEO of Hydrasun) and Craig Sangster (Chief Commercial Officer).

Hydrasun on cusp of German acquisition to spur hydrogen drive

13/12/2019

Hydrasun is on the verge of acquiring an unspecified company in Germany to strengthen its foothold in the hydrogen market.

In Europe’s richest petro-state, the top oil lobbyist is worried

13/12/2019 by Bloomberg

Some of the most powerful people in Norway’s vast oil industry are increasingly worried about what they see as a lack of nuance in the criticism of fossil fuels.

SSEN - Paul Wheelhouse - MSP - Visit Balckhillock Substation. Paul Wheelhouse, Minister for for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands came to Blackhillock substation, near Keith to mark the completion and energising of the £1bn Caithness - Moray HVDC Transmission Link. Picture, shows; Paul Wheelhouse, Minister for for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands during his visit to Balckhillock substation, Keith, Tuesday, 10 December r2019.

©Stuart Nicol Photography, 2019

New £1bn Caithness-Moray energy link hailed ‘critical’ in helping to fight climate change

13/12/2019 by David Mackay

A £1billion undersea energy cable to transmit renewable energy from the north of the Scotland to the rest of the country has been hailed as a “critical” part of the country’s fight on climate change.

Equinor plots new floating wind farm off Canary Islands

12/12/2019 by Bloomberg

Struggling to end their reliance on expensive fossil fuels for power generation, Spain’s Canary Islands are set to become a test bed for the latest technology in wind energy.

Africa

Gravity survey planned for Egypt in 2020

12/12/2019

TGS and AustinBridgeporth will begin acquiring an airborne gravity survey in Egypt in the first quarter of 2020.

Petrofac has been awarded a framework deal by EnQuest.

Petrofac snaps up North Sea framework deal with EnQuest

12/12/2019

Oilfield services firm Petrofac has secured a three-year framework deal with operator EnQuest for North Sea services.

Senegal's Parc Eolien Taiba N’Diaye (PETN) wind farm

Wind power flows into Senegal’s grid system for first time

12/12/2019

Clean energy has flowed into Senegal's grid system for the first time as West Africa's first utility-scale onshore wind farm powers up.

Vitol expects to trade 10 million tonnes of LNG this year

Africa

Vitol signs up for Nigerian LNG supplies

12/12/2019

Vitol has signed a sale and purchase agreement (SPA) with Nigeria LNG (NLNG), for some production from Trains 1, 2 and 3.

The sun sets over crude oil storage tanks at the Juaymah tank farm, operated by Saudi Aramco, in Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg

Market info

Aramco hits £2bn valuation after second day of trading

12/12/2019 by Energy Reporter

Shares in Saudi Aramco have gained on the second day of trading, pushing the oil and gas company to a more than 2 trillion US dollar (£1.51 trillion) valuation.

Hibiscus completes acquisition of Crown discovery

12/12/2019

Malaysian oil firm Hibiscus Petroleum has completed the acquisition of the Crown discovery in the North Sea for a fee which could rise to £4 million.

Africa

FAR sets out Sangomar financing plan

12/12/2019

FAR has set out plans for a conditional placement and a senior debt facility in order to finance the Sangomar field, offshore Senegal.

An employee walks in front of a gas flare at the In Salah Gas (ISG) Krechba Project, run by Sonatrach, British Petroleum (BP), and StatoilHydro, in the Sahara desert near In Salah, Algeria, on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2008. Photographer: ADAM BERRY/Bloomberg

Africa

Algeria goes to the polls

12/12/2019

Algeria goes to the polls today in a widely disputed election that aims to move the country on from its political quagmire, although this seems unlikely.

Norway

Aker Solutions, Subsea 7 get nod for Norwegian project

12/12/2019

Aker Solutions and Subsea 7 will deliver the second phase of the Aerfugl project off Norway for Aker BP.

Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse visits Blackhillock substation, near Keith, and declares the project complete yesterday.

Undersea energy cable is ‘critical’ in climate battle

12/12/2019 by David Mackay

A £1 billion undersea energy cable to transmit renewable energy from the north of Scotland to the rest of the country has been hailed as a “critical” part of the country’s fight on climate change.

Dounreay as breakers from the Pentland Firth break on the shore.

Nuclear

Probe into Dounreay radioactive dust leak

12/12/2019 by Reporter

Dounreay’s operators have been rapped after a radioactive leak from the Caithness site.

Paul de Leeuw, director of the RGU Energy Transition Institute.

All sectors must ‘work together, we have the same destination’, oil industry veteran warns

12/12/2019

A vision of Aberdeen’s energy future was outlined by two of the Grantie City’s top industry experts last night.

‘Good isn’t good enough’ Chevron boss claims following more than $10bn write-down

12/12/2019

Chevron’s boss told an American TV host that “good isn’t good enough” last night as his firm undertook a more than £10 billion write-down.

Concern for Aberdeen as Apache confirms redundancy plans

12/12/2019

A US oil firm with a large North Sea operation has confirmed plans to reduce its global headcount by 10-15%.

Thick black smoke pouring out of Mossmorran Petrochemical Plant near Cowdenbeath - Sunday 21st April 2019 - Steve Brown / DCT Media

No elevated flaring at Mossmorran over Christmas holidays says Exxon

12/12/2019 by Cheryl Peebles for The Courier

People living around Mossmorran have been assured there will be no elevated flaring over the Christmas holidays.

Paddy Petroleum, the winning team from Robert Gordon’s College are pictured at BP’s North Sea headquarters with their STEM in the Pipeline 2019 award (L-R) Alistair Finch, Patrick Ashdown, Douglas Fraser and Sean Alger.

Training & Technology

Robert Gordon’s College wins Stem in the Pipeline top prize

12/12/2019 by Reporter

Pupils from Robert Gordon’s College have excelled in this year’s STEM in the Pipeline competition, which tasked them with finding a solution to an oil and gas challenge.

Inaccuracy of bills most common complain from energy customers, charity claims

12/12/2019 by Reporter

Energy customers are still struggling to get accurate bills despite it being "the very least they should expect", according to Citizens Advice.

Oil and Gas UK and Deloitte event on collaboration at the Chester Hotel. From left, Sian Lloyd-Rees (Aker Solutions), Phil Kirk (Chrysaor), Graham Hollis (Delloitte), Martin White (Halliburton), Emily Taylor (OGUK) and Steve Phimister (Shell).

North Sea equipment sharing scheme could be revived next year

12/12/2019

An innovative North Sea equipment sharing scheme devised to save companies time and money on ordering new gear could be revived next year.

Tom Baxter, former senior lecturer in chemical engineering at Aberdeen University.

Consultant quits chemical engineering group over ‘weak’ climate messaging

12/12/2019

A consultant has quit an influential chemical engineering committee after just four months due to a disagreement about messaging around the climate emergency.

Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg

Saudi Aramco now ‘worth more than top five oil companies’ combined

11/12/2019 by Energy Reporter

Saudi Arabia's oil company Aramco has begun trading for the first time, gaining 10% in its first moments on the market in a dramatic debut that pushed its value to 1.88 trillion dollars, higher than any other listed company in the world.

Perth-based SSE given approval for £500m sale of domestic energy business to Ovo

11/12/2019 by Ron McLaren for The Courier

The sale of SSE’s domestic energy business to a rival has been cleared by the competitions watchdog.

Africa

Springfield makes billion-barrel find off Ghana

11/12/2019

Ghana’s Springfield Exploration and Production has found oil in two areas at its Afina-1 well on its West Cape Three Points (WCTP) Block 2, offshore Ghana.

The SFO’s investigation into biodiesel trading is ongoing but it has now confirmed that Greenergy and its employees are no longer suspects. Pic: Greenergy

Greenergy released from Serious Fraud Office biodiesel investigation

11/12/2019

by Allister Thomas

The UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has released road fuel supplier Greenergy from its investigation with Dutch authorities into biodiesel trading.

Africa

United nears Abu Sennan deal

11/12/2019

United Oil & Gas has returned to trading on London’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM) and is nearing completion of its acquisition of a stake in Egypt’s Abu Sennan licence.

The Cormorant Alpha is celebrating 40 years since first production.

Taqa’s Cormorant Alpha platform marks 40 years in production

11/12/2019

by Allister Thomas

One of the longest-running assets in the UK North Sea is today marking 40 years since it first started up production.

An oil platform offshore Canada in the North Atlantic