Jeanette Forbes reveals gender pay gap fury
The Aberdeen businesswoman felt like her then boss was “patronising” her when she confronted him about pay.
Features
Energy Vocations: Zenith Energy’s graduates, Hazik Gilani and Hamish Grey
Energy Vocations is the monthly series in which Energy Voice speaks to workers who keep the UK's lights on.
The windfall tax debate
Does the oil industry understand tax policy from a government perspective?
Teesworks: Tracking the freeport’s development timeline
A cornerstone of “levelling up” and addressing regional inequality in the UK, the Teesworks development on the site of the former Redcar steelworks has been mired in controversy.
Lack of Acorn CCS funding details ‘glaring omission’ from spending review
The UK government announced support for Acorn CCS but said a final investment descion will be "subject to project readiness and affordability".
Aberdeenshire businesswoman’s journey from kitchen porter to running £5m engineering firm
Tracy Clark and husband Ian started ITC Hydraulics with just a van and £2,700 of savings.
Foreign or domestic: Does the origin of oil and gas matter?
The economic and energy security benefits of maximising North Sea oil and gas production are clear, and it would aid a ‘just transition’ for the communities dependent on the sector. But would minimising UK oil and gas deliver an environmental benefit globally that supersedes UK-first arguments?
The Britoil Scandal: A £23m fraud on the streets of Aberdeen
This is the tale of an Albanian businessman, French antique dealers, American florists and the Abu Dhabi royal family – and an adulterous north-east couple on a quest to start a new life in Brazil. This is the story of the Britoil scandal – Scotland’s biggest ever fraud case.
Exclusive: Delayed Blenheim Palace solar project seeks £800m finance package
Planning for the UK’s largest solar farm has hit minor delays, as local opposition mounts despite the project's huge biodiversity net gain.
The weaponisation of energy: UK exposure
The Ukraine conflict has shown that mutual economic interdependence does not necessarily prevent war, and that energy infrastructure such as the supply of natural gas to Europe can be weaponised. With the British Isles increasingly reliant on energy imports via subsea gas pipelines and interconnectors, how resilient is the UK if these were to play a part in the theatre of war?
AI ambitions: Re-evaluating UK data centre power demand
Turning the UK into an AI powerhouse implies a lot more energy consumption. However, a large number of data centres already exist, and power demand is lower than ten years ago. Digitalisation makes an economy less energy intensive rather than more.
The Emperor’s New Clothes: BP and Shell’s duck diplomacy
Oil and gas supermajors are kicking frantically below the water’s surface as they attempt to navigate the energy transition. In the second of a two-part series, we examine how BP and Shell have scaled back their low-carbon commitments.
Metamorphosis: Value shifts in the UK’s emergent clean power system
If the generation and transmission targets are achieved by 2030 or soon after, the UK electricity system will have undergone a significant metamorphosis. It will change where value lies in the system. It will also be a much more complex system to operate and maintain.
Going to the wire: the biggest grid upgrade in history
If power cannot be delivered, it will be wasted. In part two of this three-part series, Energy Voice examines the electricity transmission challenge.
Exposé: Hydrogen boiler trial yet to receive safety approvals amid ‘explosion’ fears
A hydrogen boiler trial in Fife, which is the only ongoing test of its kind, has yet to receive safety approvals months after the associated network was installed.
‘The limits of feasibility’ – can the UK achieve clean power by 2030?
A clean power system by 2030 will require key elements of the UK’s energy system to deliver simultaneously “at the limits of what is feasible”, according to the UK’s National System Operator (NESO). In a three-part series, focusing on bulk generation, connectivity and operational flexibility, Energy Voice examines the UK’s chances of success.
The Emperor’s New Clothes: Will supermajors survive the energy transition?
Oil and gas supermajors' swan legs are kicking frantically below the surface as they attempt to navigate the energy transition. In the first of a two-part series, we examine Equinor's approach.
Energy Voices – Max Aitken: Clean power – ‘now it’s kind of sexy’
Max Aitken has a richly studded career of investing in innovative clean energy start-ups. From an early investment in BP Pulse, to co-founding bioenergy company Estover, and solar carpark charging company 3ti, he was an early stakeholder in the energy transition.
Starmer reforms nuclear planning to avoid being ‘hostage to Putin’
Prime minister Keir Starmer is placing his bets on small nuclear reactors to meet the country’s energy needs after a public backlash over big expensive nuclear projects.
Voltalis pledges £1bn after Ofgem demand response reform
An arcane Ofgem decision is bearing fruit. The regulator’s move to carve out space for demand-side response in the UK market has triggered a significant £1 billion investment from French energy technology company Voltalis.
BP is not moving fast enough in the energy transition
An impending ban on petrol cars and an upcoming government review of drilling licences has created a perfect storm for supermajors.
Ceres first fuel cell company to dip its toes in FTSE250 – Rags to Riches
A fuel cell company from West Sussex now trades on the main market of the London Stock Exchange and has its sights set abroad, according to its CEO Phil Caldwell.
Building capacity in UK offshore wind requires a global view
As the UK’s Labour government marks six months in office, it has made clear that wind power is a key component in its sustainability plans.
Diversify or Atrophy: the energy transition finance dilemma
Does energy transition finance need recategorising so decarbonisation isn’t left behind?
Hopes for 2025 are blowing in the offshore wind
What will 2025 bring for the UK offshore wind sector?