I am very excited about the future of the oil & gas industry in the North Sea and internationally. The theme of this year’s SPE Offshore Europe conference is The next 50 years – but 50 years ago no-one could have predicted the way the UK oil & gas industry would develop or how we operate now…
The foundations of the global energy system are shifting and the lives of energy policy makers are not getting any easier. If they didn’t have enough to worry about with securing affordable, sustainable supplies of energy to meet national needs…
As the North Sea continues to attract record investment, the scale of opportunity for the supply chain is growing, says the EIC. The growth is characterised by four key areas of activity: small or marginal developments, led by a growing number of independents…
Centrica Energy has paid tribute to the life of one of its pioneering exploration engineers who first discovered gas in Morecambe Bay Retired Chief Petrophysicist John Bains has died following a distinguished career which saw him discover one of the UK’s largest gas fields…
OMV is to invest in an offshore exploration block west of Madagascar. OMV will acquire a 40% stake in the Grand Prix block from Niko Resources (Niko). OMV will farm-in to the area for the planned drilling of an exploration well. OMV will…
Petroceltic International has launched drilling campaigns offshore Romania and in Kurdistan. The Romanian campaign, in the Black Sea, started with the spudding of the Cobalcescu South exploration well using the GSP Prometeu jack-up drill rig…
Scandinavia’s oil and gas industry, focused on Norway and Denmark, is expecting a resurgence. Espen Erlingsen looks at trends in the sector. The North Sea is characterized by large, producing platforms with declining production. To stop the falling production in the North Sea…
Alaska states Arctic needs Alaska’s Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell stated the case for the state’s needs at the Ice-Diminished Arctic Conference in Washington, D.C. He emphasized the need for safety, security, and economic development in the region…
The Danish offshore is a mature oil and gas province with 40 years of production, but the Danish Energy Agency’s latest annual report,* says that the country is expected to remain a net exporter of oil through 2020, while gas production is…
Statoil has made a third discovery of crude oil in the Flemish Pass basin, offshore Newfoundland. The discovery was made on the Bay du Nord prospect (EL1112), located approximately 500km northeast of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador…
QGEP Participações S.A. announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary Queiroz Galvão Exploração e Produção S.A. (QGEP) filed a Notice of Discovery with the ANP (Agência Nacional do Petróleo, Gás Natural e Combustível) for well 1-QG-5A-BAS, located…
Santos announced the acquisition of a 50% interest in the Northwest Natuna Production Sharing Contract (PSC) in the South China Sea offshore Indonesia from AWE Ltd. The NW Natuna PSC contains the undeveloped Ande Ande Lumut oil field, which…
Upstream oil and gas investment on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) reached a record £13.5 billion this year, according to a new study. But, despite the high spending, production efficiency continues to be an issue in the North Sea, says Oil & Gas UK’s 2013 Economic Report…
Lundin Norway AS has plugged and abandoned well 16/4-7, northeast of the Sleipner Øst field in the central North Sea off Norway, after it was found to be dry. The objective of the well, in 91m deep water, was to prove petroleum in Jurassic…
Vince Cable, MP, secretary of state for business, innovation and skills (BIS) is to speak at SPE Offshore Europe 2013 at one of the conference’s keynote sessions. The session, The technology imperative – collaborating today to realise the next 50 years of North Sea potential…