Dig in for fracking fight
Last month the UK Government took the energy industry by surprise by announcing a moratorium on the quest for shale gas onshore in England.
Opinion
Low-carbon road paved with opportunities and challenges, EY says
Few would doubt that the transition to low carbon provides the renewables industry with a massive opportunity.
Path to home-grown safety leaders set out
Companies that have relied on the expertise of foreign nationals to provide leadership are looking increasingly to their own citizens to fill these positions.
CMS: Intricacies of interim terms
Reviewing the past year is made much easier for me by our annual publication on legal developments in oil and gas, the latest edition of which came out in September.
Aberdeen deal activity – an honest assessment
I was asked to present a view on deal flow in Aberdeen. Not a bland “it’s getting better, albeit still challenging” comment, but something more realistic, perhaps more honest, based on what we’re seeing in the day-to-day.
Arts snub shows oil industry must get off the back foot
Nearly two years ago BP approached me to support the development of a course on greenhouse gas reduction and energy efficiency.
Be the change you want to see in the workplace
A wise man once said: “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
Tackling change in the North Sea
Change is a constant development in the North Sea – it challenges us, presents opportunities and asks us to keep thinking differently.
Opito sees a world of difference
The white heat of digital technology has greatly intensified during 2019. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is massively disrupting and transforming our industry and society all around us.
In today’s volatile world, good intelligence has never been more important
In September, a swarm of drones and missiles crashed into the oil-processing facilities of Abqaiq and Khurais - the heart of the Saudi oil industry. It was the most devastating attack in the industry’s history, and the latest spasm of violence in a region that has witnessed a series of attacks on oil tankers and pipelines over the summer months.
CSR: The power of the collective
The giant novelty cheque.
Unpopular maybe, but lower speed limits good for planet
The following figure is from the Government produced ‘UK greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions national statistics 1990 – 2017’. The bar chart shows the main sectors contributing to GHG emissions.
Are Norwegian energy firms ‘best in class’ for environmental management?
Throughout my time in the upstream oil and gas industry I have always considered Norway to be best in class when it comes to environmental management.
Labour’s windfall tax on oil a bad call
I’m hopping mad at Labour’s £11billion windfall tax on the oil and gas industry proposal in its manifesto.
OECD’s revolutionary tax changes could impact oil firms
The OECD’s 2019 workplan on addressing the tax challenges of the digitalised economy looks set to be a major overhaul of the international taxation system.
Why is decommissioning not a cost to the taxpayer?
Derek Leith’s recent Energy Voice post – Busting the decommissioning tax myths - has resulted in a lot of mud being thrown at me.
MER and the energy transition: Can OGA square the circle?
I recently presented at a UK Oil and Gas Law Seminar where the keynote speaker was Mike Tholen (Upstream Policy Director Oil & Gas UK).
First power for the world’s most powerful turbine ‘incredible milestone’
Dogger Bank Wind Farms, SSE Renewables and Equinor’s joint venture, is a pioneering offshore wind farm development.
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority blossoms in Japan
The British Embassy in Tokyo is one of the most active and also most interesting in our worldwide network.
Offshore wind: A low-carbon winner in the making
For the past 20-plus years I’ve watched the birth of offshore wind power in the North Sea, starting with small turbines planted in water so shallow that it seemed almost possible to wade out to them.
In-house legal teams increasingly under the cosh
The oil and gas sector has long been one of the most technically ingenious industries.
Is there a future in the UKCS?
I was born in 1976. It was a decade that was not only phenomenal but also transformational for the oil and gas industry.
Sir Ian Wood: North-east can be world leader in exciting new sector
With more offshore wind installations than any other country in the world and a number of pioneering projects, offshore wind represents a huge opportunity for Scotland and the north-east region.
Resuming electricity imports from Russia: A very risky business for Ukraine
Energy is particularly important to Ukraine. It is not simply a matter of ensuring consumers and businesses have the energy they need, at the right price. Or that the country is fulfilling its international obligations in transitioning towards a more sustainable, renewables based, energy system. Energy is also absolutely fundamental to our national security and the nature of our relationships with our neighbours.
Retrofitting to improve asset performance – the opportunities and challenges
With the Feed-in Tariff now closed to new applicants (from 1 April 2019), the Smart Export Guarantee currently under consultation with a government busy with the Brexit agenda, stubbornly high costs of entry to new entrants (such as high grid upgrade costs), the required rates of return for investors have not been reached and as a result there has been a noticeable slowdown in the roll-out of new renewables projects.