Energy customers are facing a potential “Halloween horror” from rocketing bills - as 12 fixed dual fuel deals are due to expire at the end of October. Comparison website GoCompare.com said that households on the deals which are set to end stand to see an average annual increase in their bills of £147.95 or 15.2% if they sit tight and allow themselves to be rolled onto their supplier’s standard variable tariff.
A bill to pass the 40-year-old ban on US oil exports has been passed by the Senate Banking Committee. The bill, which was sponsored by Democrat Senator Heidi Heitkamp from North Dakota, passed 13 to 9. The politician was the only person from the Democrats to vote for the measure.
Tag Oil said its chief operating officer has resigned from his post. Frank Jacobs said he was standing down from the role to pursue other opportunities elsewhere.
A former Arctic engineering executive has been named as director of the Subsea Systems Institute in Houston. Bill Maddock will lead the research centre which was initially set –up in the aftermath of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill. A collaboration between the University of Houston, Rice University and NASA Johnson Space Centre, the institute will serve as a neutral third party to provide industry and government regulators with new technologies, science-based policies, education and workforce training.
Hyperdynamics Coporation has agreed a settlement deal with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding an investigation into improper payments made by a subsidiary working in Guinea. The SEC had issued a subpoena to the Houston-based company concerning possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).
Safety and survival specialist Survitec has acquired Aberdeen-based lifeboat builder Survival Craft Inspectorate (SCI) for an undisclosed amount.
Statoil and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) have signed an agreement on research funding for future energy solutions. The group, with a total budget of NOK 50million over the next four years, will look to build-up a research group which can help develop sustainable energy solutions. The first move will be to recruit a researcher who can guide the work and build up the research group based at NTNU in Trondheim.
UK company Fugro has integrated and restructured several business units under one name - Fugro GeoServices.
Leading food and drink companies have come together to call for action on climate change, warning rising temperatures threaten global food supplies.
Jersey Oil and Gas has made a director swap.
Almost a third of the world’s natural World Heritage Sites face the risk of oil and gas drilling or mining, a report has warned. In Africa, almost two-thirds (61%) of the continent’s world-renowned natural sites are under threat of exploration for fossil fuels or minerals, the study by conservation organisation WWF, Aviva Investors and Investec Asset Management found. The 31% of World Heritage Sites under threat worldwide range from Africa’s first national park, Virunga, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, home to critically endangered mountain gorillas, to China’s Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
A Texan investor who helped the Bass family turn a $50mllion oil inheritance into a $5billion fortune has died. Richard Rainwater had been diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, a degenerative brain disease,in 2009. The 71-year-old was known for looking for industries that were out of favour and seeking out partners he could back to form companies to bet on a recovery. The father-of-three passed away in Fort Worth, Texas, on Sunday.
A quarter of girls in Scotland aged between 11 and 16 do not think they are clever enough to become a scientist, according to a survey.
Energy giants have not passed on dramatic falls in wholesale prices meaning customers are overpaying by the tune of £120 a year, a price comparison site has claimed.
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari said he will hold the country’s oil portfolio in his new cabinet, rather than trust anyone else with the source of most of its revenue. Buhari, who took office earlier this year, has promised to combat corruption and made clear he wants to overhaul the oil sector in Africa’s biggest economy. At an annual meeting of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week Buhari said he intended to remain as the minister of petroleum resources.
A taskforce set up after it was revealed the coal-fired Longannet power station was set to close has met for a second time in a bid to help those who face job losses. It is expected Scottish Power will know by the end of October how many Longannet employees wish to take redundancy, seek redployment within the company or find new employment. The Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said detailed work had been taking place by Scottish Power, local councils and the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise to help with an economic recovery plan.
A green energy company found to have made millions of marketing calls has been fined £200,000 after a ruling that it deliberately broke regulations, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said.
The Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush has called for an end to the ban on US oil exports as well as an ease on restrictions on natural gas exports. The former Florida governor is calling for an end to 1970s-era law prohibiting the US from exporting crude oil. It comes at a time when domestic petroleum production has grown rapidly over the past 10 years.
The Supermoon has been captured on camera in skies above a North Sea rig. The stunning image was one of many shared by people around the world after capturing the rare celestial event on film.
Metgasco has signed a contract with Terrex to acquire new seismic in its Northern Rivers petroleum exploration licence in Australia. The program is expected to take about four days to complete and has already been given the approval of the New South Wales government. The purpose of the seismic program is to provide more definition of the northern extent of the Greater Mackellar conventional / tight gas exploration prospect.
Oscar-winning actress Emma Thompson has joined activists outside the headquarters of Shell to celebrate news that the oil giant is pulling out of drilling in the Arctic.
Prosafe’s chairman has been forced to resign due to “health reasons”.
Plans for public ownership of power plants to challenge the dominance of the Big Six energy suppliers will be set out by Labour.
TV presenter and naturalist Chris Packham will take star billing at an oil and gas event in Aberdeen next week. Packham, who features on the popular Springwatch, Autumnwatch and Winterwatch BBC programmes, will deliver a speech on the need for the energy industry to consult others abut any potential wildlife issues. Wednesday’s fourth annual E-Reps Forum, a key gathering of environmental representatives from across the UK’s oil and gas sector, has the theme of sustainability through efficiency.
The Shadow climate change minister of the Labour Party said the board of oil giant Shell should be calling for its chief executives resignation.