OGV Energy - Issue 58 - July 2022 - Skills & Training

JULAUGUST 2022 - ISSUE 2020 58

UK’s No. ENERGY SECTOR

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PUBLICATION

THE SKILLS & TRAINING ISSUE FEATURING AIS Survivex QHSE Aberdeen - RCP STC Insiso - SDS - GCSG Maersk Training Norwell Edge ALTO

GLOBAL ENERGY NEWS WORLD PROJECTS MAP MONTHLY THEME INNOVATION & TECH RENEWABLES CONTRACT AWARDS ON THE MOVE DECOMMISSIONING STATS & ANALYTICS LEGAL & FINANCE EVENTS

www.ais-survivex.com

Take a green approach to your next job greenjobs.scot

Green Jobs Workforce Academy

CONTENTS

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COVER PARTNER 04 - AIS SURVIVEX - Training that’s better than the real thing

COMMUNITY NEWS 08 - Latest updates from our OGV Community members

GLOBAL ENERGY NEWS

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11 - UK North Sea 14 - Europe 16 - US 18 - Middle East

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WORLD PROJECTS MAP

20 - EIC - World's latest project updates

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MONTHLY THEME 22 - Training and Skills Will Play Key Roles in the Future of Energy 24 - STC INSISO’s elevate™ Management Academy 25 - Norwell Edge: Tackling the skills crisis: digital training becoming a must-have 26 - ALTO: What is the weakest and strongest defence against cybercrime?

27 - RCP: fibre optic training 28 - SDS: Take a greener approach to your next career move

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29 - Safer Training: Dedicated Lifeboat Coxswains Training Facilities 30 - Maersk Training: Supporting the workforce of tomorrow’s energy industries 32 - GCSG: Helping to upskill the energy workforce 33 - QHSE Aberdeen: Training offers a practical solution to tackling carbon emissions

INNOVATION & TECH ZONE 30

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34 - Viewport 3D: Viewport3 View a simple tool that brings 3D data to life 35 - Sword Group: Behind the scenes, digital acceleration

RENEWABLES 36 - SSE Renewables Green hydrogen offers a unique opportunity to diversify into renewables

EVERY MONTH 40 - Contract Awards 42 - On the Move 44 - Decommissioning 46 - Stats & Analytics 49 - Community Partner 50 - Legal & Finance 51 - Events

KENNY DOOLEY MAIN EDITOR Welcome to the July edition of OGV Energy Magazine, where this month our theme is on the topic of ‘Skills and Training’.

We are delighted to be partnering with the UK’s largest training company AIS Survivex as our front cover partner and you can read all about their brand new lifeboat simulator technology in their double page spread inside.

WISH TO CONTRIBUTE TO NEXT MONTH'S PUBLICATION? Contact us to submit your interest: daniel.hyland@ogvenergy.co.uk

OGVENERGY

@OGVENERGY

We also have global project news from the Energy Industries Council, analytics and insights from Westwood Global Energy Group and contract news from Infinity Partnership.

Finally we are delighted to let you know that we are launching a brand new quarterly publication in August called ‘OGV Renewables Magazine’, so please get in touch if you are interested in engaging with us for this exciting new project.

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Other contributions this month on our theme of ‘Skills and Training’ come from STC Insiso, Norwell Edge, Maersk Training, Skills Development Scotland, GCSG, QHSE Aberdeen and Alto.

Thanks again to our readers for all their support. Have a great month!

@OGVENERGY

VIEW THE OGV MAGAZINE ONLINE AT www.ogv.energy/magazine

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COVER FEATURE

By Tsvetana Paraskova

Training that’s better than the real thing Imagine the scenario. It’s the dead of night. A perfect storm is raging. You need an emergency evacuation from your offshore platform via lifeboat.

Scary stuff. You couldn’t possibly train for these conditions. Well actually - you can.

Leading training provider, AIS Survivex has invested a six-figure-sum in the very latest lifeboat simulator technology to increase marine safety and boost competency so that lifeboat coxswains are fully prepared for any emergency, in any weather.

The simulators perfectly complement AIS Survivex’s existing marine offering, which includes a dedicated training facility on the river Dee in Aberdeen accredited by OPITO, STCW and RYA. This facility delivers a range of training including daily courses in Basic Offshore Lifeboat Coxswain Initial Training using industry-recognised equipment such as lifeboats and fast rescue crafts for the offshore and maritime sector.

AIS Survivex is the only UK training provider to offer practical OPITO-approved initial twin fall and free fall training in a ‘real life’ setting so adding the option for continual development through simulation-based assessment is another UK-first.

www.ogv.energy I July 2022

The simulators themselves are located in a dedicated simulator suite in pride of place behind the glass frontage of the AIS Survivex Dyce facility, where delegates can complete OPITOapproved Lifeboat Coxswain Further Training.

progress through the drills while staying in constant contact through embedded CCTV and radio functionality.

But one of the most significant benefits of lifeboat training and assessments using simulators is that delegates can experience and practice operations in all types of conditions. That’s because the simulators feature The cutting-edge a wide variety of exercises to kit is impressive. recreate every type of weather It includes three - from calm seas to the perfect of the very storm - and can also switch said delegate, latest, ultrabetween night time and daytime realistic lifeboat scenarios. This enables delegates Mark McKenzie. simulators. One free to practise emergency escape and fall, one twin fall and rescue scenarios in adverse weather an advanced coxswain and in the dark – situations which mobile training simulator. couldn’t be reasonably practised otherwise.

It certainly wouldn’t be feasible to do this type of Feedback from the first training in a practical setting. However, training for delegates using the lifeboat all eventualities like this builds competency and simulators, confirms the quality improves safety standards. of the training experience and its closeness to reality. “This is more Marine Team Leader, George Masson, explains: realistic than the real thing”, said “In high-risk industries like oil and gas, training delegate, Mark McKenzie. for crisis situations is critical. Training people through engaging technology like simulation The comment comes as no helps to improve the response to an emergency surprise. These simulators are the and ensures people make the right decisions very latest versions from Canadian with a cool head. manufacturers, Virtual Marine Technology (VMT), and feature “The ability to use a simulator means more ultra-realistic graphics and motion time can be spent on training and assessment. technology to recreate the feeling Practicing high risk operational scenarios such of being on a real lifeboat. It’s as as emergency evacuation in the dark or rescues close to real life as it gets. in really bad sea conditions is one of the most valuable tools of simulation. These events simply The imposing free fall version sits can’t be replicated in any other way and yet it is on a motion bed towering 17 feet where competency can truly make a difference. above the ground and is able to move in multiple positions similar “In the safe environment of a simulator, you to a simulated real life sea state. can make as many mistakes as you like. All Wrap around 180-degree graphics the learning studies tell us that active learning add to the immersive experience and making mistakes helps memory retention. of free-falling in a lifeboat from You learn more from making mistakes and by an offshore platform. A separate seeing the consequences. You’ll remember the command centre mirrors the experience. As we all know - practice makes internal view and allows the perfect!” instructor to monitor the delegate’s

“This is more realistic than the real thing”,

COVER FEATURE

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“As well as highlighting our confidence in the energy sector, this investment sees us becoming the very first centre in the world to offer both virtual and traditional lifeboat training for coxswains." said Jamie Purves, General Manager, AIS Survivex.

AIS Survivex’s team know what they’re talking about.

The AIS Survivex Marine Training Facility has been delivering world-class marine training for over 40 years. Since AIS Survivex acquired the centre in April 2021, it has trained 2500+ delegates in the safe operation of lifeboats launched from offshore installations and maritime vessels.

This significant investment in lifeboat simulators bolsters the existing portfolio of oil and gas courses offered by AIS Survivex and offers choice to customers. The investment also means AIS Survivex becomes the very first place globally to offer lifeboat training for coxswains both practically in the harbour and virtually via a simulator for freefall and twin fall escape scenarios.

AIS Survivex general manager in Aberdeen, Jamie Purves said: “This new technology is a major investment in our Aberdeen facility and underlines our continuing commitment to both the oil & gas and marine sectors to provide innovative training solutions, which build a competent and safe workforce.

“As well as highlighting our confidence in the energy sector, this investment sees us becoming the very first centre in the world to offer both virtual and traditional lifeboat training for coxswains.

“Providing choice and options for our customers is key. Traditional practical training using a real lifeboat in the sea is mandatory for the initial coxswain lifeboat certification but the simulators are perfect for refresher and enhanced assessments.

“Experiencing the lifeboat simulators is amazing and incredibly realistic. You truly think you’ve been at sea. They feel real. Another advantage of lifeboat simulation we can offer is to practice live launches in a safe environment.

“According to InterManager, the international trade association for ship and crew managers, there have been 419 deaths involving lifeboats since 1981.

Many of these lifeboat fatalities have been during lifeboat launch drills.

“One of our simulators is a desktop version – the advanced coxswain training simulator. As well as practicing live launches within our centre, this simulator is mobile and can be packed up into its suitcase sized carryall and taken onto any worksite easily and quickly. Training and practising operations within the workplace allows multiple learners to be trained in an environment they are familiar with and reduces the need to travel to and from a training centre. Training scenarios can be tailored to replicate the client’s exact procedures and systems so it’s as close to the real thing as possible.

“Because the instructor comes to you, clients are only paying for the travel for one person. This is another appealing option as it cuts the travel time and expense of multiple learners leaving site which, in turn, reduces carbon emissions for clients.”

As well as simulator-based lifeboat training, AIS Survivex offers a wide range of courses to equip lifeboat crews with the skills they need.

In addition to training the current generation of lifeboat crew, AIS Survivex is focussed on inspiring the next generation coming through. Currently it is working with the Aberdeen Sea Cadets to offer ongoing tours and talks around marine safety. As part of this initiative, the sea cadets get to try out the survival pool and the new simulators. It is hoped this will help inspire future marine and energy careers for the youngsters.

George Masson said: “We are delighted to work with organisations such as the Sea Cadets. This younger generation requires a radically different approach to education and training. We need to leverage the power of technology such as our simulators to engage and inspire learners.

Showcasing our simulator technology will hopefully inspire a new generation of workers to choose energy careers.”

To cope with customer demand, AIS Survivex is running assessments on its simulators twice daily five days a week. To find out more, visit www. survivex.com or email training@ais-survivex.com / call 0330 202 0569.

“We hope to cut this devastating statistic through the use of our lifeboat simulators. As well as being able to practice lifeboat launches virtually, our twin fall simulator features a separate mechanical hook release system to enable delegates to physically carry out pre-launch checks which works in tandem with the simulator.

AIS Survivex Offer Over 500 World-Class Training Courses In State-Of-The-Art Facilities.

Courses Include Wind Energy, Oil And Gas, Marine, Construction And Industrial Training.

To find out more AIS Survivex visit www.ais-survivex.com.

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ONS 2022

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ONS gives exhibitors access to the top decision-makers in the oil and gas and energy industry and is one of Europe’s foremost meeting places to identify innovative ideas, launch revolutionary new products, strike diverse partnerships and do business in the lower carbon energy era. With an estimated 70,000 visitors from 100 different countries, ONS promises huge potential to build lasting business relationships.

Taking a stand or ‘Walker package’ with OGV Energy will ensure your organisation will secure strong brand awareness and networking opportunities at the event and online as our media team ensure that your brand is being talked about through leveraging the global engagement of our international audience.

Key benefits of taking a Stand or ‘Walker package’ on the OGV Energy Pavilion • Prime location in hall 5, to engage with clients and meet prospective customers.

• Enhanced brand promotion through partnering with a leading media group in the energy sector.

• Appointed UK freight partner & stand designer • Free Invitations to the ‘OGV business breakfast’ • Enhanced promotion through our leading industry publication ‘OGV Energy Magazine’ • Company profile in the OGV Energy pavilion brochure • Video interview on stand, promoted on our news platform and social media.

• Access to networking area to meet clients & develop business • Help to identify potential partners & customers • On stand support and advice • Access to stand wifi and communications network.

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COMMUNITY

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MEMBER'S FEED OGV COMMUNITY MEMBER OF THE MONTH (Most shares on OGV web in June)

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The World’s First “Single Trip, Downhole Powered, Multi Motor, Casing Drilling Tool” is designed to disrupt traditional drilling practices and make challenging oilfields easy to drill and complete.

The design is unique in the industry and can utilise the power of up to TEN x Slim Hole Positive Displacement Motors mounted inside the casing centraliser blades to drive a drillable shoe.

Steel Space Casing Drilling and Titan Torque have signed a contract to commercialise an innovative Casing Drilling Tool.

Operators’ eyebrows have been raised across the world in response to this new technology. Several have conducted positive technical reviews and are now considering applications where sections can be “combined”, where traditionally a contingency liner would have been planned. This efficiency could result in a saving of $5m per well in the target Middle Eastern markets.

The agreement will see Titan take a seat at the board of Steel Space Casing Drilling and guide

The Energy Transition is real, and one of the solutions to this complex problem is to reduce the

Titan Torque signs major New Technology development contract with Steel Space Casing Drilling

Glacier Energy’s ESG Efforts Drive The Achievement Of Gold Sustainability Certification Glacier Energy is delighted to report that our Inspection Services division has successfully upgraded their SafeContractor accreditation by achieving Gold Sustainability Certification.

SafeContractor is one of the leading health and safety accreditations and has the largest in-house team of auditors within the UK. By the team achieving this certification, it demonstrates that Glacier Energy has met essential requirements around the areas of health, safety, environment, diversity, equality, wellbeing and financial stability.

Scandinavian links set to deepen thanks to energy transition Connections between the North East of Scotland and Norway will be more important than ever as energy transition opportunities continue to be explored – that was the message to delegates as a popular international business event made its face-to-face return today (Monday, June 20th).

The ninth Aberdeen-Norway Gateway, held by Granite PR in association with ONS and Widerøe, brought about a return to the event’s traditional in-person lunchtime format at Aberdeen’s Marcliffe Hotel & Spa.

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Fugro partners with EMODnet to advance ocean sustainability in Europe Fugro is now an Associated Partner of the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet), a long‑term EU initiative to make diverse sources of marine data freely and uniformly available to all.

Beneficiaries of this work include policy makers, scientists, private industry and the public. The Fugro‑EMODnet partnership was formalised earlier this week and will focus on expanding private‑sector collaboration and marine data sharing in support of a sustainable blue economy.

4C secures key new appointment to enhance business growth expertise Energy industry executive Jon Oliver Bryce has joined business growth consultancy 4C Global (4C) as a Senior Advisor.4C, launched in 2020, supports companies with strategy and business growth in multiple industries including Oil and Gas, Marine and New Energy. To date, 4C has supported activity with tier one global contractors in decommissioning, well intervention, well management and offshore drilling as well as working alongside global rig moving and rig upgrade engineering specialists. In new energy, 4C currently consults in both power and marine renewables.

emissions associated with the production of Oil and Gas. By eliminating entire sections and the Non-Productive Time associated with casing off trouble zones, significant carbon savings can be made.

Titan Torque’s Managing Director, Keith Gaskin said: “Our first reaction when this was presented to us was “why has no one done this before?”.

We were immediately excited about this innovation and could see how we could align with Steel Space Casing Drilling and help operators reduce costs and emissions.

Graduating from the Net Zero Technology Centre’s TechX program, Steel Space Casing Drilling are well respected but still have several gaps to reach commercialisation, mainly around manufacturing and financial horsepower. Having recently developed the SJI to commercialisation using a similar model, Titan are perfectly positioned to assist.”

Brimmond sets sights on growth with rebrand and restructure Brimmond Group, the Aberdeenshire-based provider of hydraulic, lifting and mechanical equipment and services, has integrated the divisions of its business by absorbing sister company Rigrun Europe.

The company, which is rebranding as Brimmond after dropping ‘Group’ from its title, also announced Tom Murdoch as Managing Director of the newly unified entity. The restructure sees him become majority shareholder of the business started by his late father Alistair in 1996.

Global Maritime Geosciences Launches Celtic Sea Geo Desktop Study Global Maritime’s Geosciences department – “GM Geo” - has launched a geological, geohazard and geotechnical desktop study covering an area of search with a focus on the upcoming Crown Estate floating wind leasing round. The DTS is a valuable source of information for developers seeking to identify preferential areas in the Celtic Sea to submit to the leasing process.

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ENERGY NEWS

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JULY 2022

UK NORTH SEA

Energy Review

By Tsvetana Paraskova

Reactions to the UK windfall tax on oil and gas operators, company updates, and new field developments were the highlights in the UK North Sea oil and gas industry in June.

The Energy Profits Levy, commonly known as the windfall tax on oil and gas companies’ profits, continued to be a much debated issue in the industry, after the UK government announced at the end of May a new 25% surcharge on the extraordinary profits the oil and gas sector is making, with immediate effect.

Some analysts say the large companies could be able to mostly offset the new tax, thanks to the high profits they generate and the diversification of operations outside the UK. The industry, however, is apprehensive and warnings have mounted – both from the offshore industry association and from individual companies – that the windfall tax would undermine the UK’s attractiveness for investment because the basin is losing the predictable regulatory and tax framework it has boasted for years.

According to Fitch Ratings, the improved financial performance of Fitch-rated oil and gas companies operating on the UK Continental Shelf, boosted by historically high commodity prices, together with their portfolio diversification, will limit the impact of the windfall tax, while an investment allowance will also help reduce tax costs.

Ithaca Energy will be the most affected by the levy among Fitchrated companies as its entire oil and gas portfolio is in the UK North Sea, Fitch said.

“The impact of the levy on oil and gas majors will be minimal due to their highly diversified operations, income streams coming from various sectors other than oil and gas extraction and strong credit metrics,” the rating agency noted.

Graham Kellas, Senior Vice President, Global Fiscal Research at Wood Mackenzie, said “There will be a negative reaction from industry, who abhor ad hoc revisions to the tax system and regularly call for fiscal predictability. Avoiding this kind of short-term response could be achieved if the UK adopted the approach - already used in other territories – where tax rates are linked to the price of oil, rising and falling in-step.”

There is growing concern among operators that this will be a multiyear tax which, based on current levels, could cost the industry up to £17.5 billion, Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce said in early June.

Continues >

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ENERGY NEWS

“Tax and fiscal stability, above all else, really matter in a globally-competitive investment market, and we've well and truly shot ourselves in the foot,” Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce Policy Director Ryan Crighton told The Telegraph.

Deirdre Miche

https://www.agcc.co.uk/news-article/treasuryunder-pressure-to-clarify-windfall-tax-rules

“Let’s source more of the gas we need from British waters to protect energy security,” Business & Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said, commenting on the approval.

Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), which has long opposed a windfall tax, said later in June that signs have started to emerge of potential damage to the UK industry, with reports that Shell and Equinor may be reconsidering investment plans in light of the new tax.

“This is an industry that thinks and plans longterm, so sudden new taxes will always disrupt investment plans,” said Deirdre Michie, chief executive of OEUK. “In particular, such moves increase the cost of borrowing for new projects, making it more difficult to raise the money needed to maintain existing energy supplies and build the low carbon energy systems of the future. The result will be a decline in oil and gas production in years ahead – just when the UK most needs reliable sources of energy,” Michie added.

The offshore industry raised its concerns about the windfall tax undermining UK North Sea investment at a meeting with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, on 23 June.

“The new rate has deeply concerned the industry, not only because it is so high but also because of the speed with which it was imposed. This sudden change in tax policy, Sunak was told, risks undermining the UK’s hard-won reputation for fiscal stability – a key factor for companies considering new investments,” OEUK said.

“We will work constructively with the UK government and do our best to mitigate the damage this tax will cause but if energy companies reduce investment in UK waters, then they will produce less oil and gas. That means they will eventually be paying less taxes and have less money to invest in low carbon energy,” OEUK’s Michie commented.

In a letter sent on 28 June to the Chancellor on behalf of the offshore energy industry, OEUK warned that the new tax risks driving away UK oil and gas investment – just when it’s most needed to maintain the UK’s future supplies.

“Right now, the world is at risk of shortages and price rises that will have huge impacts on consumers and on our economy. So we should be doing all we can to maximise our own supplies, not deterring investment with new taxes,” Michie said.

“We all want to move quickly to a cleaner energy future, but our ambitions must be grounded in realism if we are to avoid dramatically increasing our reliance on imported energy in the short term. It’s why we continue to raise concerns about the impact of the levy on the UK’s energy security, economy and thousands of jobs,” she noted.

field development proposal after regulators rejected an earlier plan last year. Jackdaw, east of Aberdeen, is one of the biggest projects approved in the North Sea in recent decades, and the field is planned to begin production in late 2025. Jackdaw has the potential to produce 6.5% of the UK’s total gas output.

The boards of directors of Tullow Oil and Capricorn Energy announced on 1 June they had reached agreement on the terms of a recommended all-share combination of Tullow and Capricorn to create a combined group.

In comments about the tax, UK gas producer Serica Energy said in early June that “Although fiscal instability is unwelcome in an industry with long lead times for capital expenditure, this new Levy is part of a package that includes significant investment incentives designed to encourage companies like Serica to continue to reinvest profits.”

“Our planned 2022 expenditure on the North Eigg well and the LWIV campaign is around £60 million which we expect to be eligible towards this tax saving. This will offset a large element of the Energy Profits Levy that would otherwise be payable on Serica’s profits this year,” the company added.

Elsewhere in the UK North Sea industry, the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) said it was developing a new screening tool which will help to maximise the repurposing of oil and gas infrastructure for energy transition projects. Repurposing of infrastructure could save the North Sea industry billions of pounds. The NSTA tool targets operators with oil and gas fields nearing the end of their production life, the authority said. Pipelines are the real prize as they offer the greatest opportunity in the energy transition, and they are being prioritised. NSTA analysis has identified more than 100 pipelines which could be suitable for carbon capture and storage (CCS) or hydrogen projects. Finding a new life for just half of them would generate estimated savings of about £7 billion.

Repurposing assets would also reduce decommissioning costs, which is good news for both industry and the Exchequer, the NSTA said.

Cost-efficient emissions reductions of up to 87% on offshore oil and gas platforms could be achieved using alternative power sources, according to a review of the winning studies to accelerate electrification of oil and gas assets in the North Sea, the authority said. The studies – by Orcadian Energy and Partners, Orsted and Neptune Energy, and Katoni Engineering – demonstrated concepts which do not require power from shore, instead creating standalone power systems using renewable power, which can be easily complemented by power cables from onshore, the NSTA said.

On 1 June, the UK authorities issued the final regulatory approval to Shell’s Jackdaw Field Development. Shell has had to amend the

Hurricane Energy is giving up on Greater Warwick Area development plans after determining that further appraisal and development costs to reach an economic development on the Warwick discovery within the remaining licence term is not feasible for the company. Therefore, Hurricane Energy and its JV partner, Spirit Energy, decided to relinquish the P2294 licence area in the West of Shetland.

Orcadian Energy said on 13 June that the new energy profit levy had radically improved the economics of a farm-in deal for its Pilot oilfield project for some potential farminees. “The Board believe that this will make investment in the development of the Pilot oilfield an increasingly attractive opportunity,” Orcadian Energy said.

The company also announced a seismic licensing deal with energy data company TGS, which will provide Orcadian with high-quality seismic data, revealing the reservoir structures and even the likely fluid type in evaluating prospects within its North Sea portfolio.

Well-Safe Solutions said they had been contracted by Ithaca Energy to plug and abandon six wells on the Anglia Platform in the Southern North Sea, approximately 55 km from the UK mainland. The contract – for an undisclosed sum – will see the Aberdeen-based well decommissioning specialists provide project management, well engineering and all managed delivery services for the project.

Baron Oil Plc, an AIM-quoted oil and gas exploration company with projects in the UK and Southeast Asia, said on 28 June that its initial understanding of the windfall tax is that “it may lead to producing oil and gas companies re-engaging in exploration drilling.”

“Both aspects could have a positive impact on the chances of the Dunrobin prospect, with its relatively large size and ease of drilling, being tested,” Baron Oil said, adding that an updated evaluation of Dunrobin is anticipated to be available during the fourth quarter of 2022. This is expected to provide sufficient time for Baron Oil to consider its strategy with its partners, potentially including engaging with prospective drilling and funding partners, ahead of the July 2023 ‘drill or drop’ decision.

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Taking your Digital Identity to market

By Eric Doyle

We run sessions with our clients on building sector influence on Social Media. The sessions are built around how to separate and pull away from the crowd on Social Media by really tapping into influence, creating focussed communities and building a solid Digital Identity for you and your team.

I enjoy this element on finding individual digital identities, it’s always very revealing about someone’s true passion and personal mission.

It always takes some time to get through the ‘conditioned crust’…

Me: “What do you want to be famous for on Social Media...?”

Typical response: “I want to be famous for selling what we sell….”

Me: “That’s what you do, dig down into who you are and what are you all about….?”

When you add all of this up, there is a lot of noise, and it is nonstop. This definitely plays a role in how the prospect feels when they receive a call, email, voicemail, or something from you.

Number 2: Is open and insightful. It gives not only a sense of you but a sense of your company culture. It’s designed to appeal to a much wider audience and provide influence and insight. Building from this will allow people to see inside your organisation and see beyond marketing materials and brochures.

It non salesy, non-threatening, it’s interesting and, it looks like it might help me…

This is where we start to pull you out of the ‘branding race’ and turn the volume down on your competition.

Think about these 2 approaches in a Social Media context. Understanding this and putting it to work in a commercial sense, is important.

Others have included: A Senior Salesperson who wanted to be known for his focus on improving economies in his sector and his passion for driving improvement.

A CEO found he wanted to be known for modern minded leadership and client satisfaction.

BRENT OIL PRICES OVER THE YEARS July review

1

YEAR AGO

- BRENT OIL PRICE 2021 - $43.24 Oil is set to end July with a gain in New York ahead of OPEC+ plans to return supply to the market after the group’s historic output cuts, while the coronavirus pandemic continued to spread across many major economies.

Futures reversed Thursday’s decline to trade above $40 a barrel. Deep production curbs by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies have helped oil rebound from its plunge below zero in April, but it’s a precarious time to be adding more supply to the market as virus cases continue to expand rapidly through some American states and stages a comeback in Asia.

Data Thursday showed the U.S. economy suffered its sharpest downturn since at least the 1940s in the second quarter, highlighting the devastating impact of the pandemic.

A CFO settled on positivity and team development.

Typical response: “I’m not sure...”

Me: What is it about your work that you are most proud of, what do you enjoy most about what you do…?

This is the starting point for development of someone’s personal ‘Digital Identity’. There is more work to do but it’s the foundation stone from which we build.

Typical response: “Ah, ok…I really love innovation in technology and developing young talented people…”

We can then craft a content strategy around this and the rest of the team.

Now we are getting somewhere…it’s like the ‘5 whys’ in an incident investigation See the difference...?

1. Hi, I sell these things, do you want to buy one…?

2. Hi, when I get up in the morning, I’m already thinking about the next technology innovation that can help our sector and our customers, it’s how we all think. I am personally driven to make sure young people are getting the education and experience they need to become the future…not only of our company, but in the sector we operate.

Then we can build insightful content around this and play this out on Social Media.

‘Start with you’…It’s the Social Media equivalent of Simon Sinek's… ‘Start with why’.

Number 1: This loaded with what we call ‘Social filters and barriers. In a world where all of our prospects are subjected to a barrage of adverts and pushy sales, day after day…this approach is dead. Add this to Cold calls, voicemails, cold emails, loaded connection requests, salespeople dropping by their office, and they even still get direct mail.

A content strategy designed to start building influence in target areas and to allow the good people in your network (and those joining your network) to be absolutely clear on your reason for being here and why you are the answer.

We have a guide in our business…

Within 4 scrolls of your content feed on whichever Social Media platform you are using in your strategy, we should be able to see strong proof that you and your team genuinely understand or can solve my specific business challenges.

We should also have a strong sense of your view on the world and your personality.

This is extremely powerful and puts you and your team ahead of the competition who are still hamstrung by the belief that this can all be done by the marketing team putting out corporate content.

Scroll down you own content feed and some of the team’s today -what are you really telling the world about you...? That’s you have things for sale or that you genuinely understand and can provide the winning solutions to your customers issues like nobody else can…?

Your teams ‘Digital Identity’ should sing loud and clear and cut through the 'blanding' of your competitors...

In 2022 its important you give your team all the skills they need to build influence, create sector communities, prospect and build influence…. all on Social Media.

Eric is a Co-Founder of Crux Consultancy Limited who train and coach cross sector B2B teams in the art and science of Social Selling & Influence.

5

YEARS AGO

- BRENT OIL PRICE 2017 - $44.95 The price of Brent crude is down 16% from its 2016 high and 70% from its all-time high in 2014.

Brent crude dropped 1.3% to $42.66 a barrel, while US crude fell 1% to $40.73 per barrel.

The energy industry has been trying to cope with a new status quo of low oil prices and slowing demand.

They are having to reconsider expansion plans and production levels.

Exxon has cut its spending plans by 38% but that was not enough to offset the dip in the price of crude oil.

10

YEARS AGO

- BRENT OIL PRICE 2012 - $116.97 The crude oil markets sustained high price levels in 2011, as the spot price of Brent averaged $111.26 per barrel, marking the first time the global benchmark averaged more than $100 per barrel for a year. The price increases in 2011 reflected tightness in the global crude oil market that began in 2010 and marked the highest crude oil prices since 2008. Demand growth in emerging markets, notably China and the Middle East, drove crude oil prices higher in 2011 as well. During the first six months of 2011, the demand for petroleum products in countries not part of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (non-OECD) grew by almost 4%, just as the market was coping with the loss of Libyan exports

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ENERGY NEWS

Europe Energy Review

By Tsvetana Paraskova

Oil & Gas Early in June, the EU managed to overcome the Hungarian resistance and announced a ban on seaborne Russian oil imports and a ban on maritime insurance for Russian oil going to third countries. The EU has to phase out imports of seaborne crude oil and petroleum products within eight months, with a special derogation until the end of 2024 for Bulgaria due to its specific geographical exposure. Member States highly dependent on Russian pipeline oil are also temporarily exempted until the Council decides otherwise, but they are not allowed to resell the oil they receive from Russia via pipeline. The ban covers 90% of the EU’s current oil imports from Russia.

Analysts believe that the insurance ban will hit Russian oil exports more than the EU ban for imports because most insurers are based either in the EU or the UK, which looks to join the insurance ban on maritime transportation of Russian oil.

Russia curbed in the middle of June natural gas deliveries to major EU customers, including the biggest buyers Germany and Italy. EU leaders rejected the Russian “technical reasons” for the lower gas volumes and said the move was politically motivated.

The Russian cuts to supply to Europe came just as the continent was sending gas into storage to have it at least 80% full by the start of the winter. EU members fear gas injection into storage would slow and

www.ogv.energy I July 2022

June was an eventful month in European energy. The European Union finally decided to impose a ban on seaborne imports of Russian oil, Russia slashed gas deliveries to the EU, Norway restarted its LNG export facility after nearly two years, the UK government met offshore wind operators looking to advance the industry, and many companies announced clean energy investments in the UK and the rest of Europe.

Russia would use the regular two-week maintenance on the Nord Stream pipeline in July as an excuse to further slash supply. Reduced gas deliveries from Russia prompted Germany to trigger the second phase of a three-stage emergency gas plan and to appeal to consumers to conserve gas and energy. Many other countries in Europe have also asked people to conserve energy this summer.

The EU agreed increased supply from Norway, Western Europe’s top oil and gas producer, as it seeks to replace Russian gas and secure more supply.

“European Commission Executive VicePresident Frans Timmermans, Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson and Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy Terje Aasland therefore agreed to step up cooperation in order to ensure additional short-term and long-term gas supplies from Norway, to address the issue of high energy prices, and to develop long-term cooperation on offshore renewable energy, hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, and energy research and development with a view to developing an even deeper long-term energy partnership,” Norway said.

Norway’s Equinor also agreed to deliver additional gas supplies to the UK by raising the annual supply to UK’s Centrica, the owner of British Gas. Equinor every year typically supplies 20-22 bcm of natural gas to the UK which covers over 25% of UK gas demand.

Equinor also resumed production at the Hammerfest LNG after a fire shut down the facility

in September 2020. Hammerfest LNG accounts for more than 5% of Norwegian gas exports.

“With the start-up of Hammerfest LNG, we add further volume to the already substantial gas deliveries from Norway. This is of great significance in a period when predictable and reliable supplies are highly important to many countries and customers,” said Irene Rummelhoff, Equinor’s executive vice president, Marketing, Midstream and Processing.

In exploration and production, Equinor has awarded Transocean Spitsbergen a firm drilling programme consisting of nine wells and options for another two. The rig is scheduled to start the drilling campaign in the autumn of 2023 for three production wells for the Haltenbanken West Unit, part of the Kristin South area in the Norwegian Sea. Subsequently, six production wells are planned for Halten East, which will be tied-in to the Åsgard field in the Norwegian Sea, before considering another two wells on Kristin South.

Equinor announced in early June it had made another oil and gas discovery in Skavl Stø near the Johan Castberg field in the Barents Sea. The size of the discovery is preliminarily estimated at between 5-10 million barrels of recoverable oil equivalent. Together with the other licensees, Vår Energi and Petoro, Equinor will consider tying the discovery into the Johan Castberg field.

Italian energy engineering firm Saipem signed a binding agreement with KCA Deutag to sell its Drilling Onshore operations in exchange for a cash consideration of $550 million plus a 10% stake in KCAD after its acquisition of the Saipem’s Drilling Onshore.

Europe

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Low-Carbon Energy In low-carbon energy news, UK Energy and Clean Growth Minister, Greg Hands, met representatives of the offshore wind industry on 16 June to discuss ways to accelerate UK offshore wind deployment.

A new report published by the Offshore Wind Industry Council forecasts that by 2030, the industry will employ over 97,000 people in the UK, including 61,000 direct jobs and 36,000 indirect jobs. According to the report, between 2022 and 2030, the industry will see £155 billion of private investment in new offshore wind projects, taking the average annual spend to over £17 billion a year. This is significantly higher than the level of private investment reported last year, which showed an average annual spend of just over £10 billion. The UK’s total pipeline of offshore wind projects at all stages of development has surged over the past 12 months, and now stands at 86 GW. The 60% increase has been driven mainly by major leasing round announcements by The Crown Estate (8 GW) and Crown Estate Scotland (25 GW of ScotWind), the report noted.

“This report shows that we’re making rapid progress in seizing the economic benefits of the Green Industrial Revolution, and that we’ll need to continue to grow fast to ensure that we meet the Government’s target of 50 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030 - a fivefold increase in our current capacity.

That’s why it’s important for industry and Government to work together to address skills shortages in areas like electrical engineering and data analysis, so we can boost the number of high-quality green jobs in offshore wind throughout this decade,” said OWIC’s People & Skills workstream head and RenewableUK’s Deputy Chief Executive Melanie Onn. In early June, The Crown Estate committed £50 million to accelerate the UK’s offshore energy ambitions and protect the marine environment. The Offshore Wind Evidence and Change Programme is gathering and harnessing the necessary data and evidence to propel forward the growth of UK offshore wind at pace, while maintaining clean, healthy, productive, and biologically diverse seas, The Crown Estate said.

The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) launched on 14 June the UK’s first-ever carbon storage licensing round with 13 areas available. The new carbon storage areas are off the coast of Aberdeen, Teesside, Liverpool and Lincolnshire in the Southern North Sea, Central North Sea, Northern North Sea, and East Irish Sea. This round will be the first of many as it is estimated that as many as 100 CO2 stores could be required in order to meet the net zero by 2050 target, the NSTA said.

Offshore Energies UK strongly endorsed the carbon storage licensing round, noting that the UK’s offshore operators and their supply chain companies have five decades

of experience in the kind of engineering needed to make such technologies work.

The Offshore Wind Industry Council forecasts that by 2030, the industry will employ over 97,000 people in the UK, including 61,000 direct jobs and 36,000 indirect jobs

In North Lincolnshire, a consortium of Aker Solutions, Siemens Energy, and Doosan Babcock has been awarded the front-end engineering and design (FEED) contract for SSE Thermal and Equinor’s proposed Keadby 3 Carbon Capture Power Station, which could become the UK’s first power station with carbon capture and storage.

Equinor and SSE Thermal also bought power company Triton Power and are starting preparations to use hydrogen in the Saltend Power Station.

RWE and gas distribution company SGN are partnering to supply Scottish towns and rural communities with sustainable hydrogen gas. The two companies will explore the development of electrolysers, powered by RWE’s 10 onshore wind farms in Scotland to supply homes and businesses with hydrogen gas via Scotland’s gas network.

RWE’s largest battery storage project went live in Monaghan, Ireland, in June. The 60MW facility at Lisdrumdoagh near Monaghan town is capable of providing the rapid delivery of electricity into the power grid to help balance intermittency in electricity generation.

Green Investment Group and Bluestone Energy set up a joint development agreement to develop up to 2 GW of UK battery storage projects. This partnership will play an important role in enabling more renewable energy capacity to connect to the UK’s electricity grid, the companies said on 14 June.

Offshore Norway, Equinor and its partners in the Troll and Oseberg fields are looking into the possibility of building a 1-GW floating offshore wind farm in the Troll area. The potential Trollvind floating offshore wind facility, some 65 kilometres west of Bergen, could provide much of the electricity needed to run the offshore fields Troll and Oseberg through an onshore connection point.

Air Liquide and Siemens Energy created a joint venture for the series production of industrial-scale renewable hydrogen electrolysers in Europe. Production is expected to begin in the second half of 2023 and ramp up to an annual production capacity of 3 GW by 2025.

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ENERGY NEWS

US

ENERGY REVIEW

While US consumers and the Biden Administration are reeling from record-high petrol prices, the US oil and gas industry activity is accelerating, but cost increases and worsening supply chain issues are not leaving much room for further increases in output, at least not in the short term.

US petrol prices hit a record of over $5 per gallon early in June, putting pressure on the Administration to lower prices in a mid-term election year and putting upward pressure on inflation which hit in May its highest annual growth since December 1981.

By Tsvetana Paraskova

US Administration Struggles with Record Petrol Prices As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent Western sanctions on Russian oil, international crude oil prices have largely stayed around and above $110 per barrel for most of the second quarter. This has led to a rise in petrol prices globally and in the US, where inventories of fuels including petrol, diesel, and jet fuel are at their lowest in years and well below the five-year average for this time of the year. Since crude oil prices make up more than 50% of the price of petrol in the US, the price has jumped to a record in nominal terms of over $5 a gallon national average. Inflation-adjusted petrol prices are

www.ogv.energy I July 2022

not as high as in the early summer of 2008, but they are causing hardship for drivers as the driving season ramps up, and for the Biden Administration ahead of the mid-term elections in November. President Joe Biden and the White House have repeatedly said they would use every reasonable policy tool available to try to lower prices. Those efforts, including a large release from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), haven’t led to much relief at the pump.

President Biden upped the rhetoric toward oil companies in June, asking them to boost supply of petrol and not pass on record refining margins to consumers.

“I understand that many factors contributed to the business decisions to reduce refinery

capacity, which occurred before I took office.

But at a time of war, refinery profit margins well above normal being passed directly onto American families are not acceptable,” President Biden said in a letter to oil companies on 14 June.

“So, we know where to put the blame: on the war. But oil companies, they have — oil refineries, they have a responsibility too. What they have been doing is taking advantage of the war,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on the following day, commenting on the letter.

“By putting out the letter, we’re saying, “Hey, we need you to act. It is time to act,” JeanPierre added.

US US Oil Industry Wants Long-Term Policy Encouraging Investment

Cost Escalation, Supply Chain Impede Faster US Oil & Gas Production

The US oil industry responded to the letter, saying that the government should change its current policy and work for a business and regulatory environment encouraging investment in supply.

Business activity of firms operating in Texas, northern Louisiana, and southern New Mexico jumped in the second quarter to its highest reading in the Dallas Fed Energy Survey’s sixyear history, but cost increases accelerated for a six consecutive quarter and supply chain issues further worsened, the survey showed on 23 June.

“To protect and foster U.S. energy security and refining capacity, we urge to you to take steps to encourage more domestic energy production, including promoting infrastructure development, addressing escalating regulatory compliance costs, allowing all technologies to compete to reduce emissions, modernising fuels policies, and ensuring capital markets are functioning for all participants,” the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) said.

Texas Oil & Gas Association President Todd Staples said in a statement in response to President Biden’s letter that “The best solution to price relief is more production as the price of oil is determined on a global basis, driven by supply and demand. Unfortunately, this Administration’s policies have actively discouraged the increased production Americans need and now consumers are hurting as a result. Let’s hope this current outreach recognises that for long term investment to be made there must be long term support.”

The two US oil supermajors, ExxonMobil and Chevron, both called for consistent long-term policy that supports investment in US oil and gas resource development.

Despite Chevron’s efforts to boost supply over the past year, “Notwithstanding these efforts, your Administration has largely sought to criticise, and at times vilify, our industry.

These actions are not beneficial to meeting the challenges we face and are not what the American people deserve,” CEO Michael Wirth wrote in a letter to President Biden.

Federal Tax Suspension?

President Biden also called on Congress to suspend the federal gas tax for the next 90 days, through the busy summer travel season.

He also called on states to either suspend the state gas tax, too, or find other ways to deliver some relief to consumers.

However, the President’s call for a federal gas tax holiday faced opposition in Congress, including from Democrats.

Oil and natural gas production increased, though the pace eased slightly, according to executives at exploration and production (E&P) firms polled in the survey.

Costs jumped for yet another quarter, the sixth in a row, while delivery times for materials and equipment rose as supply chain issues continue to hamper an even more robust activity, the Dallas Fed Energy Survey found.

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hiring issues will dampen the overall ability to expand.”

Another one noted that “The supply chain seems stretched to the max in the Permian Basin. There really is not much ability to increase drilling activity.”

Executives in the survey also expressed concern that a recession or a significant slowdown in the economy could be around the corner to crash oil and gas prices again.

Freeport LNG Outage Further Tightens Global Gas Market A fire at the Freeport LNG export facility in early June led to a decline in US natural gas prices, but the prolonged outage at the terminal, which is estimated to have supplied 2.5% of Europe’s gas demand in May 2022, is set to tighten global gas markets.

“At this time, completion of all necessary None of the 52 responding oilfield services repairs and a return to full plant firms reported lower input costs for the operations is not expected until late second quarter. It is taking longer 2022,” Freeport LNG Development for firms to receive materials said on 14 June. Partial and equipment. The supplier “The industry is in operations could resume delivery index edged up from the position to expand; within three months, once the 30.6 to 31.9—a record high. safety and security of doing Among oilfield service firms, however, supply-chain so can be assured, and all the measure of lag time for issues and employeeregulatory clearances are deliveries jumped from 25.5 obtained. hiring issues will dampen to 36.0—also a record high and suggestive of delays the overall ability to With Freeport LNG offline, US acquiring products and/or expand.” feedgas volumes have fallen services. Most executives – to 10.2 Bcfd in the week after the 66% – expect it will take more fire, alongside a 30% decline in US than a year to resolve supply-chain LNG export terminal utilisation rates, issues, while only 4% of executives said Rystad Energy said in a report on US gas that their firms were experiencing no supplybalances for June. chain issues.

In comments to the survey, one E&P executive said: “The highest uncertainties are no longer below ground (ultimate recoveries, initial production rates, gas–oil ratios, operating expenses), as we’ve gotten very good at forecasting, estimating and predicting those.

No, the highest uncertainties now are all above ground (politics, windfall profits tax, surtaxes, leasing bans, product prices, inflation, supply times, material availabilities, contractor availabilities and capital availability).”

Another one noted that “It is getting increasingly hard to find rigs, steel pipe and fuel to run the rigs.”

An executive at an oilfield services firm said “The industry is in the position to expand; however, supply-chain issues and employee-

“Freeport LNG was able to be flexible with diverting volumes to Europe since on average around 76% of its exported volumes in 2022 are uncontracted. As a result, we expect Europe will be the region most impacted by this incident,” the independent energy research and business intelligence company said.

“The global gas market was already tight heading into the northern hemisphere’s summer demand period, but Freeport LNG’s outage is expected to further tighten the market,” Rystad Energy reckons.

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We’re always looking for new ways to add value and routinely introduce new technological solutions to make service delivery even simpler, smoother, faster.

By Tsvetana Paraskova

The acceleration of the OPEC+ oil production increase, Qatar’s major LNG expansion plans, and Saudi Aramco’s sustainability report were the highlights in the Middle East’s oil and gas industry over the past month.

OPEC+ Accelerates Monthly Production Hikes In early June, the OPEC+ group of producers led by Saudi Arabia and Russia decided to accelerate the monthly oil output boost to an increase of 648,000 barrels per day (bpd) for the month of July. The June meeting decided to advance the planned overall production adjustment for the month of September and redistribute equally the 432,000 bpd production increase for September over the months of July and August 2022.

The record cuts enacted in April 2020 at the peak of global COVIDrelated lockdowns were originally scheduled to be unwind in September 2022, and now OPEC+ is accelerating the timeline. The OPEC+ pact continues until the end of 2022.

“The Meeting noted the most recent reopening from lockdowns in major global economic centers. It further noted that global refinery intake is expected to increase after seasonal maintenance. The Meeting highlighted the importance of stable and balanced markets for both crude oil and refined products,” OPEC said in a statement at the end of the meeting in June.

The acceleration of the production cuts was viewed by analysts as a way to partly compensate for falling production and global supply out of key OPEC+ producer Russia, and amid expectations of strong fuel demand this summer.

www.ogv.energy I July 2022

Middle East The production table for July provided by OPEC showed that Saudi Arabia and Russia each have a quota of 10.833 million bpd for July, while the overall OPEC+ production target is 43.206 million bpd.

While Saudi Arabia is largely expected to produce to quota, Russia is already lagging behind and is estimated to be around 1 million bpd below its output target. The drop in Russian supply due to the sanctions on its oil over the invasion of Ukraine, coupled with production issues at several other pact members, leads to OPEC+ actually producing much less than its targets. This further tightens global market balances and makes supply more difficult to predict.

In the middle of June, a document from OPEC+ seen by Reuters showed that the producer group was falling behind its oil production target by 2.695 million bpd in May. Western sanctions on Russia’s oil exports and capacity constraints at several other producers, most notably OPEC’s African members Nigeria and Angola, have led to a huge overall underperformance of OPEC+ in their collective output quota. In May, Russian crude oil production was way off its target, by as many as 1.276 million bpd below its quota. This was the largest underperformance compared to targets among all OPEC+ producers.

Saudi Arabia Raises Prices To Asia Signalling Confidence in Demand Saudi Arabia raised the prices of its oil going to Asia in July, in a sign that the world’s largest crude oil exporter is confident in summer demand amid record-high refining margins in Asia and a global crunch in fuel supply.

Saudi Arabia raised the official selling price (OSP) of its flagship crude grade Arab Light going to Asia by $2.10 per barrel, to $6.50 a barrel over the Oman/Dubai benchmarks, off which Middle Eastern supply to Asia is priced. The increase of the prices to Asia was more than the market and Asian refiners had expected.

The Saudi oil giant Aramco also lifted its OSP for July for crude going to Europe and the Mediterranean region, but kept US price differentials unchanged from the pricing for June.

QatarEnergy Picks Big Oil As Partners in World’s Biggest LNG Expansion Project QatarEnergy, the state-held firm of one of the biggest exporters of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the world, selected in June several partners for the North Field East (NFE) expansion project, naming four of the major international oil and gas companies as international partners in the project.

The Qatari project will expand Qatar’s LNG export capacity from the current 77 million tons per annum (MTPA) to 110 MTPA. The $28.75 billion project is expected to start production before the end of 2025. The upstream part of the project will develop the south-eastern area of the field with 8 platforms, 80 wells, and gas pipelines to the onshore plant.

QatarEnergy picked TotalEnergies as its first international partner in the NFE expansion project. Under the terms of the deal, QatarEnergy and TotalEnergies will become partners in a new joint venture company (JV), in which QatarEnergy will hold a 75% interest while TotalEnergies will hold the remaining 25% interest. The JV in turn will own 25% of the entire NFE project, including the 4 mega LNG trains with a combined nameplate LNG capacity of 32 MTPA. “With its low costs and low greenhouse gas emissions – thanks to carbon capture and storage – the North Field expansion will be an exemplary and major contribution to our low-carbon LNG growth strategy. This new partnership will indeed enable us to reinforce our global LNG portfolio and, together with Qatar, it will support our ability to contribute to Europe energy security,” TotalEnergies chairman and CEO Patrick Pouyanné said at the award ceremony.

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After the agreement with TotalEnergies, QatarEnergy signed similar deals with Italy’s Eni and US companies ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil. In each of the agreements, QatarEnergy and the international partner create a joint venture company, in which QatarEnergy will hold 75% and the international major the remaining 25%. Then each of the four newly-formed JVs will have 25% in the entire NFE expansion project.

“This agreement is a significant milestone for Eni and fits our objective to diversify into cleaner and more reliable energy sources in line with our decarbonisation strategy. Eni looks forward to working with QatarEnergy on this project to positively contribute to increasing worldwide gas security of supply,” said Eni CEO Descalzi.

“We are collaborating with QatarEnergy on North Field East to accelerate the production of secure, affordable and cleaner energy our world needs,” said Darren Woods, chairman and chief executive officer for ExxonMobil.

At the end of June, QatarEnergy also announced it had joined the Aiming for Zero Methane Emissions Initiative, an industry-led initiative that aims to reach near zero methane emissions from operated oil and gas assets by 2030.

Middle East Deals and Aramco’s Sustainability Report QatarEnergy and Chevron Phillips Chemical Company (CPChem) have announced awarding the early site works contract for the Ras Laffan Petrochemical Project (RLPP), marking the commencement of execution of the RLPP. The joint venture project between QatarEnergy and Chevron Phillips Chemical will feature a 2,080 kilo tons per annum (KTA) Ethane Cracking Unit, making it the largest ethane cracker in the Middle East and one of the largest in the world. The facility will also include two High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) units, which will significantly raise Qatar’s current Polyethylene production capacity, QatarEnergy said.

In the United Arab Emirates, ADNOC Logistics & Services, the shipping and maritime logistics arm of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), said it would buy three additional LNG vessels as it responds to the growing global demand for LNG. ADNOC has also identified AED 70 billion ($19 billion) worth of products in its procurement pipeline that could be manufactured locally. Out of this value, ADNOC signed agreements for local manufacturing opportunities worth AED 21 billion ($5.7 billion) with UAE and international companies at the Make it in the Emirates Forum in Abu Dhabi. The agreements will see the companies set up and expand manufacturing facilities in the UAE as well as jointly explore with ADNOC the potential for new investments in local manufacturing.

Saudi Aramco published on 15 June its first sustainability report as investors and society call for increased transparency at the biggest oil-producing companies in the world.

By 2035 Aramco aims to reduce its upstream carbon intensity by 15% to 8.7kg of CO2 equivalent per barrel of oil equivalent (CO2e/ boe), against a 2018 baseline of 10.2kg CO2e/boe. The report’s release follows Aramco’s announcement of its ambition to achieve net-zero Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across its wholly-owned operated assets by 2050.

“We are investing for the long-term, against a backdrop of global energy and economic uncertainty, and we will continue to integrate breakthrough technologies in our operations over the next decade and beyond,” said Aramco’s president and CEO Amin Nasser.

The Saudi oil giant also opened at the end of June the Aramco Research Center at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (ARC KAUST), which aims to accelerate the development of low-carbon solutions for the energy industry using advanced analytics.

WORLD PROJECTS

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SPONSORED BY

Energy projects and business intelligence in the energy sector

www.eicdatastream.the-eic.com

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The EIC delivers high-value market intelligence through its online energy project database, and via a global network of staff to provide qualified regional insight. Along with practical assistance and facilitation services, the EIC’s access to information keeps members one step ahead of the competition in a demanding global marketplace.

The EIC is the leading Trade Association providing dedicated services to help members understand, identify and pursue business opportunities globally.

It is renowned for excellence in the provision of services that unlock opportunities for its members, helping the supply chain to win business across the globe.

The EIC provides one of the most comprehensive sources of energy projects and business intelligence in the energy sector today.

USA - Venture Global Plaquemines LNG Export Terminal $13.2 billion

Venture Global has reached a final investment decision (FID) on the Plaquemines LNG export project and associated Gator Express pipeline after securing US$13.2 billion in financing for the terminal's initial phase (13.3 mtpa). An FID on Plaquemines' second phase is expected by the end of the year.

2 THAILAND - PTTEP Arthit Offshore Gas Field – Carbon Capture and Storage Project $600 million Feasibility studies have been completed to develop carbon capture and storage at the offshore field.

The project is currently in the Pre-FEED phase and with CCS operation expected to commence by 2026.

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5 CANADA - Cenovus Energy Inc

BRAZIL - Petrobas Buzios Oil Field

BELGIUM - INEOS Antwerp Ethane Cracker Plant

(Phase 9 – P-80 FPSO)

(Project ONE Phase 2)

West White Rose Extension Project (WREP) Offshore Oil Field

$3.5 billion

$2.2 billion

$3.1 billion

Bids for the P-80 FPSO have been submitted with Keppel the lowest bidder. The ninth FPSO on the prolific Buzios field is expected to process 225,000 barrels of oil per day and 12MMcm/d of gas.

INEOS has awarded Tecnicas Reunidas a project management, engineering, procurement, and construction management contract covering the Antwerp Ethane Cracker project. For the development of the project, Tecnicas Reunidas will mobilise up to 450 people, along with 225 people to supervise construction at the Antwerp site and at the centre where the construction of the large scale modules (designed by Tecnicas Reunidas) will be carried out.

Cenvous Energy and partners have agreed to restart work on the project.

The partners in the project have worked to significantly to firm up cost estimates, rework the project plan, and de-risk the project over the last 16 months. Given that the project is already about 65% complete, they are confident to restart the project in 2023. Operations are planned to start in the first half of 2026, reaching a peak output of 80,000 b/d by the end of 2029.

The vessel will be linked to eight production wells and seven wateralternating-gas (WAG) wells.

www.ogv.energy I July 2022

6 ROMANIA - OMV Petrom Neptun Block – Domino-1 Gas Field $1.3 billion OMW Petrom and Romgaz SA, which is taking over the ExxonMobil share of the development, are looking to make a final investment decision for the projectcas early as the end of 2022. This comes after the parliament approved the offshore law, allowing Black Sea gas projects to progress. First gas should be no later than 2026.

WORLD PROJECTS

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QATAR - North Oil Company Al-Shaheen Offshore Development – Gallaf Project Phase 3 US$2 billion

7

McDermott International has stated that it has been awarded by NOC the FEED contract for the the Al Shaheen Phase 3 project. The scope of the contract is to provide FEED studies and deliverables that are suitable for an EPCIC contract, which includes creating FEED data, providing a schedule for EPCICm cost estimates and developing an early work plan for the brownfield scope with the necessary site surveys. The FEED contract also includes a new design for greenfield facilities and brownfield modifications that complies with the related rules and regulations. The contract will be managed by McDermott International's Doha office while supported by its office in Chennai.

8 DENMARK - Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners BrintØ - North Sea Hydrogen Island US$1 billion Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), with COWI and Arkitema are planning to develop an artificial island in the Danish part of the Dogger Bank, an extensive sandbank in the middle of the North Sea spanning UK, Dutch, German and Danish waters. The island would produce 1 million tonnes of green hydrogen annually using electrolysers powered by 10GW of offshore wind to export via pipeline to Germany, Belgium and Netherlands.

9 AUSTRALIA - Shell Crux Gas Condensate Field US$2.5 billion Shell has reached the final investment decision (FID) for the Crux gas project. It is understood that the project will cost around US$2.5bn and it is expected to produce 1.6Tcf of gas, 60MMbbl of condensate and 40MMbbl of LPG. Construction works for the project is targeted to begin in 2023 and the commercial operations is targeted to commence in 2027.

10 INDONESIA - BP Ubadari and Vorwata Fields (Berau, Wiriagar & Muturi PSC) - Enhanced Gas Recovery US$2 billion BP has started the prequalification process of companies for the FEED contract. The FEED work will cover the surface and sub-surface offshore facilities for the Ubadari field, receiving facilities at the Tangguh LNG plant, enhanced gas recovery as well as gas compression. The enhanced gas recovery project is expected to produce 1.27 Tcf of gas and 3.77 million barrels of condensate.

WORLD PROJECTS SPONSORED BY

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22

TRAINING AND SKILLS WILL PLAY KEY ROLES IN THE FUTURE OF ENERGY

By Tsvetana Paraskova

Retaining and hiring talent in the energy industry and training and upskilling employees for their current and future roles is key to maintaining adequate supply of conventional fuels as well as expanding renewables capacity and fostering innovation in clean energy.

The energy transition will need hundreds of thousands of talent entering the energy industry workforce, while oil and gas will continue to need skilled professionals as countries look to boost their energy security by ensuring conventional energy supply, especially domestically, where possible.

Following two major price slumps in the past decade and the growing global ESG trend, many skilled professionals in the oil and gas industry have either moved to other spheres entirely, such as tech, or plan to move to renewables in the short to medium term. ESG plays an important part in many talent decisions to switch jobs from oil and gas to renewables.

This leaves the conventional energy sector competing for talent acquisition not only with all other industries but also with the clean energy industry. Furthermore, young people tend to overlook and dismiss opportunities in the energy sector because they associate it with “dirty fossil fuels”, and oil and gas companies scramble to hire new talent to train and upskill in a tight labour market.

The energy transition in countries aiming for net-zero emissions in 2050, including the UK, provides opportunities for new talent and for training of energy industry employees to transfer their skills to the renewables energy sector, especially in areas such as offshore wind.

www.ogv.energy I July 2022

Growing Shortage of Technical Skills in the Energy Industry

ESG concerns are now a factor in whether to join or leave an energy firm.

More than 75% of energy professionals are considering a career change within three years, with the majority of workers favouring a switch to renewables, according to Airswift, an international workforce solutions provider within the energy, process, and infrastructure industries.

“Yet many renewable workers also moved to traditional sectors such as oil and gas in the last 18 months and half of professionals in fossil fuel sectors say their organisation’s ESG policies are sufficiently robust. This indicates that recent decarbonisation efforts are helping boost employee retention and recruitment across traditional energy sectors,” Airswift says.

Airswift’s sixth annual Global Energy Talent Index (GETI) report showed in March that the global drive to clean energy has accelerated a mass migration of skills from traditional to renewable sectors. The survey, which tracks global energy recruitment and employment trends, also found that there is a growing shortage of technical skills across the energy industry.

This industry-wide technical skills shortage means all energy sectors are now more likely to seek those skills outside their company.

To compile the report, Airswift and Energy Jobline surveyed 10,000 energy professionals and hiring managers in 166 countries across five industry sub-sectors: oil and gas, renewables, power, nuclear, and petrochemicals.

Over 75% of professionals in traditional energy sectors would consider switching to another sector within three years and most potential career-changers in oil and gas, power, and nuclear would move to renewables, the report found. This is partly influenced by concerns over climate change with over 80 % of professionals across all sectors saying that

“Instead of fighting for a limited pool of existing talent, the industry should expand the talent net to sectors such as technology where there are growing skills overlaps,” Airswift CEO Janette Marx commented.

“An engineer on an offshore oil rig has many of the raw skills needed for an offshore wind-tohydrogen project. That said, some firms will simply look to fill skills gaps by automating more jobs and we are already seeing automation increasing,” Marx added.

Specifically in the oil and gas sector, the survey found that 82 % of oil and gas professionals would consider leaving for another energy sector within three years, and the majority (54 %) would choose renewables. And the talent migration is already underway, with the majority (28 %) of those who joined the renewables sector in the last 18 months transitioning from oil and gas.

“Oil and gas companies could retain talent by offering more internal transfers to green energy divisions, combining career progression opportunities with ESG. The sector should continue to promote its role in global development efforts and as a bridge to clean energy, supplying

OFFSHORE WIND “Upskilling your Oil & Gas staff could open doorways for them to progress into new roles within your organisation as the energy transition continues,” Donaldson added.

UK Offshore Industry Looks To Create Energy Transition Jobs As part of the UK North Sea Transition Deal, the sector will work to ensure that the workforce’s skills and competencies are mutually recognised across energy sectors enabling easier job transferability, OEUK says. In its plan for clean and secure energy, OEUK said in May 2022 it needs to champion a local response to a global challenge, and asked governments and regulators to deliver strategic and long-term export opportunities for cleaner energies, as well as for the skills, capabilities, and infrastructure developed in the UK.

transition fuels and providing key assets for offshore wind projects,” Marx said, commenting on the oil and gas industry’s ability to attract and train talent.

In the renewables sector The GETI report found that 77 % of renewables professionals would now consider leaving for another industry within three years, and technology is the most popular choice. https://www.getireport. com/oil-and-gas/ “Yet most professionals say renewables firms should shore up their skills to cope with a changing energy landscape by focusing on offering learning and development, retraining and mentoring for existing employees before hiring outside talent. The focus on outside hires over talent development could also threaten talent retention, with career progression the primary driver for the majority considering leaving,” according to the survey.

Making energy transition training a priority is one way for the oil and gas industry to retain talent as governments seek net-zero emissions by 2050, according to Callum Donaldson, Oil & Gas Sales Director - North America at Airswift.

“With career development playing such a crucial role in employee retention, consider providing energy transition training for your staff. This will help ensure that they have the skills they need to progress in their career as the energy landscape continues to change,” Donaldson wrote in a blog post in May.

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In addition, on behalf of OEUK, Robert Gordon University has completed initial work on employment planning and opportunities in carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), hydrogen, and electrification in 2030 and 2035.

Global energy skills organisation OPITO published in May 2022 an Integrated People and Skills Strategy, on behalf of the UK oil and gas sector and with the support of the Energy Skills Alliance.

“With UK offshore energy industry jobs forecast to grow to more than 211,000 by 2030, it's vital that we prepare and empower a diverse, agile and adaptable workforce, nurturing the skills we need in oil and gas, offshore wind, carbon capture and storage, and hydrogen,” the strategy says.

“Alongside the strategy, the first of five action plans, Aligning Offshore Energy Standards, has also been The North Sea Transition Deal published, to create an aligned itself says that “Many of the Callum Donaldson training and standards framework skills present in the sector are also across oil and gas, offshore wind, transferrable across the wider energy hydrogen, and carbon capture, utilisation and sector. Offshore renewables, as well as storage – a top priority for the workforce, trade the future CCUS and hydrogen industries unions and companies alike,” OPITO said. will rely heavily on many of the current skillsets in the oil and gas industry such as “The ultimate goal is to replace today’s geologists, project managers, a wide variety fragmented approach with a single digital of engineers, and fabricators.” passport solution which is simple, visible, and fair for everyone. It will help identify role-specific Taking stock of one year after the North training requirements and provide a platform for Sea Transition Deal, the Department for workers to store and share their qualifications,” Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the energy skills organisation added.

OEUK said in a report in March 2022 that “Good progress has been made in aligning cross-sector energy training and standards “The success of our future integrated energy to facilitate workforce mobility and minimise industry and its four main sectors – oil and barriers to movement. The Deal commits gas, offshore wind, carbon capture and industry to produce a People and Skills Plan storage, and hydrogen – depends upon the (P&SP) which is being led by OPITO, a skills skilled, agile and adaptable workforce who'll body for the energy industry.” deliver it,” OPITO notes.

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SKILLS & TRAINING

STC INSISO’s elevate™ Management Academy STC INSISO’s elevate™ Management Academy is a customised learning and development programme for personnel moving into more strategic business management roles across various business functions and regions. elevate™ is tailored to meet the needs of individual organisations - our training and software development specialists piece together your brand guidelines, data, and challenges to truly reflect your business strategy.

As individuals progress from managing purely technical activities, to managing a broader range of functions, there are multiple skills and tools required to make the transition to seeing things from a business and strategic perspective, and to make decisions which are right for the business as a whole.

Laura said: “The Academy provided me with a range of knowledge and practical tools in order to further my learning, hone my leadership skills and have a solid understanding of P&L and strategic thinking. We have a number of ex delegates of the 2014 Management Academy still with Sparrows today, who have applied their learnings from this course into their daily roles within the business."

Our courses are perfect for Engineering Managers, HR Managers, Finance Managers, QHSE Managers, Regional Managers, and many others who could potentially have leading roles within the business in future.

On course delivery methods: “When we previously ran the academy, it was run in-person which worked really well in terms of internal networking with colleagues from all over the globe. I did have reservations about running the course remotely in a virtual environment during the pandemic, but it worked incredibly well; the technology that STC INSISO use to ensure the breakout sessions work well is excellent. It remained interactive and all delegates were engaged throughout the course."

We have a track record of delivering customised elevate™ programmes to a diverse range of organisations, equipping staff with the necessary tools to ensure their transition into their new role is seamless. With cohorts of 12 delegates drawn from various functions within your business, the programme comprises four modules that are based upon real situations and finishes with a group challenge and graduation. The module topics are ‘Business and Money’, ‘Managing Self and Others’, ‘Projects and Change’, ‘Value and Markets’ and lastly ‘The Challenge’.

On the trainers and course content:

The elevate™ programme can be configured for physical or virtual delivery to accommodate delegates internationally without the need for travel. Our experienced facilitators deliver the course in a highly interactive style, whether in-person or virtually, to encourage collaboration amongst those participating. Depending on the mode of delivery which best suits your business, the entire programme is typically completed between 4-10 weeks.

“The trainers are excellent; they are engaging and know their subjects inside out. They also know our organisation well which means they can pitch the material at the correct level and make it relevant to our business, ensuring the delegates get as much out of the course as possible.

STC INSISO has delivered more than 20 management programmes over the past five years and one of the businesses we have successfully worked with is Sparrows. The company’s Human Resources Director, Laura Lee graduated from the Management Academy back in 2014 and continues to be an advocate of the programme for her colleagues.

“I really enjoy working with STC INSISO to ensure the module content is tweaked to work for our business perfectly.

The trainers are open to making small changes and working together to ensure they are delivering content that works for us and them.”

www.ogv.energy I July 2022

Craig Smith People Change Manager STC INSISO

To find out more about STC INSISO’s elevate™ Management Academy, email info@stcinsiso.com or call 01224 937497.

SKILLS & TRAINING

25

Tackling the skills crisis: digital training becoming a must-have

By Mike Adams, Co-founder, Norwell EDGE

There’s been a sharp change in the UK’s domestic energy landscape as a result of the war in Ukraine and political events closer to home. With operators being urged to increase production, our industry is once again facing a critical shortage of skilled workers. Changing how we think about training is central to tackling the challenge head-on.

A recent report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) highlighted the limitations in options for replacing Russian crude and other oil products while, despite the recent windfall tax, the UK’s Prime Minister, Boris Johnston has said that the UK needs greater self-sufficiency in its energy sources – last year the UK met only 40% of its gas demand from domestic production.

Now, with a licensing round for new North Sea oil and gas projects planned to launch in the autumn and a new taskforce providing bespoke support to new developments, operators are under pressure to recruit new personnel and develop their existing teams to meet these new demands.

and embracing digital learning holds the key to addressing the pressing skills shortage, making it vastly more accessible, engaging and affordable.

E-learning platforms, such as Norwell EDGE, can be instantly scaled up, from small teams to enterprise-wide, providing access to a suite of learning material and modules that can be assigned to provide technical knowledge specific to job role, or ensure a wide understanding of safetycritical concepts.

This approach allows employers to ramp up and deliver training to new or existing staff in a consistent and cost-effective manner, removing reliance upon time-consuming and expensive onshore training days that have traditionally been the sector’s go-to method of training provision.

With organisations continually welcoming new employees, ensuring learning is delivered

effectively will be central to training choices.

Digital training methods are proven to boost retention of knowledge learned within courses by more than 50%. And by providing continuous, bite-sized content, information is reinforced and remembered simply by sharing it in different ways, with no overload.

At Norwell EDGE, we have long felt that making upstream technical training more affordable and accessible is a necessity – now, scalability of the right training material is a critical element of response to the latest twist in Industry’s skills crisis.

Norwell EDGE technical e-learning modules are built around OEUK standards and allow employers to track, audit and assess individual learning, to ensure key information has been understood and retained. Providing continuous training of this kind to the entire workforce, not only new recruits or those deemed ‘business critical’ at a particular time is critical to withstanding unexpected ups and downs, while giving workers a platform to learn skills that can be applied around the world and operate safely in a high-risk sector.

After an exodus of experienced workers during lockdown, the energy industry faces an uphill struggle to find a sustainable solution to the skills crisis. The requirements for technical oil and gas training is not without its challenges – it requires a flexible, continuous approach that optimises knowledge retention while minimising operational disruption.

A digital-first approach that combines e-learning with other digital tools such as 3D training scenarios, online routine assessment, and traditional steps such as mentoring and onsite hands-on training, is the most effective way to ensure teams can maintain the highest competency standards while working in high-risk environments. Auditable, high quality digital training can be easily scaled to respond to sudden changes in needs. The pandemic saw a significant acceleration of the energy industry’s digital transformation –

Don’t wait to be given training. Our world-class courses give you the technical knowledge you need to take the next step in your career. It’s affordable, easy to use and stays with you.

Find out more at www.norwelledge.com

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SKILLS & TRAINING

What is

the weakest and strongest defence against cybercrime?

Cybercriminals extorted an estimated $6 trillion dollars from businesses and individuals in 2021. Indeed, if measured in economic terms, cybercrime would be the third largest economy in the world after the US and China writes Bruce Skinner, CEO of Alto.

These sobering statistics are a stark reminder that cybercrime is no longer a lone hacker sitting at a computer terminal sending automated, virus-laden messages in the middle of the night. Cybercrime is big business, run as slick and professional operations by extensive and capable teams.

They succeed by deploying humans armed with the very latest technology in the neverending battle for data. For cybercriminals, data means power – financial and otherwise.

So how do you protect your business when technology is wielded as a weapon and how do you prioritise the health and safety of your data? The answer, of course, starts with people. People are one of the greatest assets any organisation can have and this

is particularly true when it comes to cybersecurity. But people can also represent the biggest potential risk to a business’s cybersecurity, if their knowledge and training isn’t up to scratch.

In simple terms, cybersecurity is any action taken to protect your company data, personal and sensitive information which is stored online, on a server or in the cloud so it’s imperative to remember that, whilst the threat cannot be seen, the effects may be all too visible if a business falls victim to attack.

Worryingly, it can take over 100 days for a cyber threat to be noticed within a business and, by then, it’s often too late. Lost and/or corrupt data which has been raked over, operational downtime, reputational damage – the list of headaches is long, and each factor has time-consuming and far-reaching implications.

the best weapons for the job. Among these should be tools such as intuitive training where safe, fake emails can be sent to test staff vigilance and, if the recipient takes the wrong action, immediate training is offered on how to spot a potentially hazardous email in future. There are many options out there for training. If you use Microsoft 365, some of the packages contain Microsoft 365 defender, with intuitive training included in the cost.

Email systems remain the most common method of entry for cybercriminals and many methods of attack come Email systems with familiar names such So, whilst data may be as hacking (where people revered as power by remain the most or automated systems cybercriminals, knowledge try to access a system common method of is power in the fight by any means possible) against them. Business entry for cybercriminals and phishing (sending life has moved on far deceptive emails which beyond the “set and forget” and many methods aim to lure the recipient approach to cybersecurity into divulging data for of attack into an era where it needs to the hacker to use). Others be an integral part of business include data breaches or planning. identity theft, cases of which have risen by a reported 160% since To paraphrase a well-known quote, 2019, and malware (malicious software) “technology is a great help but a terrible which is designed to disrupt, damage or spy leader”. Technology will not lead you to safety. on a system to build up a picture of a person’s Your people will. Awareness is key to staying habits or online activity. a step ahead. Ensure your people have the training and understand the technology and Front and centre of the primary line of any your cybersecurity strategy. If you do, you are company’s defence is, again, people but they starting with the acknowledgement that, for can only mount that defence if they too have most of us, the threat of attack is when not if.

Alto is a market-leading Managed Services and Security Provider (MSSP) provider which provides one-stop cover for IT infrastructure and support services. The company is based at Tullos in Aberdeen and employs a team of experienced IT consultants who deliver high quality products and services to more than 50 clients throughout Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. They represent a diverse range of sectors varying from oil and accountancy to hospitality and toy manufacture.

To find out more, visit www.itsalto.com

www.ogv.energy I July 2022

ALTO can advise you on the right technology for your business as it grows, and help with installation, integration and migration.

To find out more, visit www.itsalto.com

SKILLS & TRAINING

FIBRE OPTIC TRAINING

for the onshore, offshore and renewables markets

RCP - Instrumentation and Control System specialists have made significant investment in fibre optic equipment such as fusion splicing machines, mechanical splicing kits, fibre optic ovens, optical power meters, optical microscopes and polishing equipment to terminate and test fibre optic cables, connectors junction boxes and patch panels to a very high standard.

In 2021 a dedicated fibre optic workshop was set up at our Blackburn facility to provide fibre optic training to the onshore, offshore and renewables markets.

Fibre Optic Training includes Fusion Splicing of single mode and multimode cables using Fujikura fusion splicers, construction of bespoke fibre optic cables and connector sets, construction of circular plug/socket connectors for hazardous area use. ATEX/IECEx zone 1 connectors, cables made up with pre-potted glands and tails to facilitate ease of fitment to drilling platforms, rigs offshore and renewable assets.

Mechanical splicing – Corning and Huber + Suhner connectors, ST, SC and LC, insertion loss and cable loss measurements, testing connectors and cables for insertion loss and return loss.

OTDR testing using Fujikura machines.

The format of the course starts with the theory of Fibre Optics. Safety when using Fibre Optics, FO cable selection and connector types.

Stripping fibre optic cables and preparation including the use of fan out kits, the use of fibre breakout boxes and fibre optic plug socket connectors and an understanding of loss budgets for fibre optics.

Delegates will learn how to manually splice using a Corning Kit with ST, SC and LC connectors. They will learn how to measure insertion loss of splices, connectors and cables. The delegate will use a fibre optic power meter. There will also be an introduction to fusion splicing.

The training course consists of both theoretical and practical elements with approximately 75% of the course being practical exercises where the delegates get to practice the skills taught.

By the end of the course each delegate will be able to identify different types of fibre cable for use on/offshore, select the correct type of cable and connector for the application in hand, prepare and manually splice a connector onto a fibre optic core(mechanical splice), test the integrity of the connector and measure the insertion loss of the cable or cable system.

The delegates will be able to fault find and repair fibre optic cables and connectors, prepare and splice a connector onto a fibre optic core known as fusion splicing.

The course material can be created bespoke to a company’s specific requirements. The course runs over 2 days.

A certificate of competence will be issued to the delegate's employing company on successful completion of the course.

RCP provide the following site services on or offshore Fusion Splicing of single mode and multimode cables – Fujikura fusion splicers, Construction of bespoke fibre optic cables and connector sets, Mechanical splicing – Corning and Huber + Suhner connectors, ST, SC and LC. Construction of bespoke fibre optic cables and connector sets – Insertion loss and cable loss measurement, testing connectors and cables for insertion loss and return loss.

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SKILLS & TRAINING

TAKE A GREENER APPROACH

Jenny MacDonald, SDS

to your next career move

The move to net zero has the potential to create thousands of highly skilled, well-paid jobs across Scotland.

The site is one part of a broad programme of work being taken forward through Scotland’s Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan.

Jenny MacDonald, SDS Skills Planning Manager, said “The energy sector is already leading the charge when it comes to Scotland’s transition to net zero. All energy apprenticeships are just one example of the innovative, collaborative approach that is already delivering results.

If you’re interested in becoming certified carbon literate, free climate emergency training is currently available on the site, as well as further information on the circular economy and case studies of real people already making an impact on climate targets across Scotland.

It offers insight into the economic sectors at the heart of the move to net zero, Energy, Engineering, Construction and the Built Environment, Transport, Nature and Life & Chemical sciences.

“For anyone who is looking to take a greener approach to their current role, or start thinking about their next one, Green Jobs Workforce Academy is a good place to start.”

Upcoming developments will also see a skills discovery tool added to the site to help users understand how the skills they already have can be applied to greener roles.

The Green Jobs Workforce Academy at greenjobs.scot is here to help you take a greener approach to your career, skills and job search.

www.ogv.energy I July 2022

SKILLS & TRAINING

DEDICATED LIFEBOAT COXSWAINS TRAINING FACILITIES

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Our simulators and learning programs have trained thousands of learners globally with nothing short of 100% positive feedback from the end user, the actual lifeboat coxswains.

We introduced the simulators to the UK North Sea during Offshore Europe Sept 2019. We achieved OPITO approval of our facilities, simulators and learning programs later that year and opened for business officially November 2019.

A major operator tested the simulators and learning programs and decided that all their lifeboat coxswains would utilise the simulator technology to enhance their learning experience as well as enhancing confidence and competence levels of their personnel throughout their operations internationally.

Combining Safety and Technology has demonstrated that a real learning experience can be shared across industry and achieving results that cannot be achieved safely during conventional training methodologies. The benefits that are clearly demonstrated is in the confidence levels of the lifeboat coxswains from starting the program to the end results.

We have developed our training program and delivery style so that we eradicate waiting time for the learners, we see waiting time as wasted time. As we are the only OPITO training centre solely dedicated to lifeboat coxswains training, we feel it’s important to have that quality time at the helm and not waiting about for others to have their shot at the helm.

The training is fully engaging, hands on activity, with graduated levels of challenges that can be expected in the offshore working environment, such as adverse weather conditions, high sea states, night launching and other hazards to be expected in the event of an emergency evacuation. The learners now get the opportunity to practice their launching procedures at night, in adverse weather and various sea states that are typically found in the UK North Sea.

We cover all aspects of safety training from crew/passenger familiarisation via VR Headset also available is the onboard continuous training desktop unit to allow ongoing training offshore to eradicate skills fade that every coxswain endures and our full mission simulators that allow the lifeboat coxswains to experience high sea states, adverse weather and launching at night all of which cant be demonstrated or practiced during conventional methods of training

SAFER Training (Scotland) Ltd offers a suite of IOSH Working Safely training courses and tailored HSE learning interventions across the global Oil and Gas industry, Subsea and Marine sector Find out more at www.safer-training.com

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SKILLS & TRAINING WIDE COVERAGE

Training for the future

With 5 training centres across the UK in Aberdeen, Portlethen, Newcastle, Grimsby and Lowestoft, we are able to offer a wide range of training courses from basic safety through to simulatorbased immersive learning - to all the main markets we serve; Oil & Gas, Wind, Marine Renewables, and Maritime.

INNOVATION IN TRAINING As a business we've accelerated our digital offering, developing e-learning courses which learners can participate in from home. Virtual delivery of courses has also gained great momentum in the past 2 years, and this is certainly an area of the overall training market that will continue to grow.

Supporting the workforce of tomorrow’s energy industries

INTRODUCTION It’s clear that the pace of the Energy Transition is picking up – with the ultimate aim of moving to a lower carbon future. Maersk Training in the UK has a relatively long history of providing training specifically for the renewables sector, marking 10 years since our Newcastle facility became the first in the UK to receive GWO accreditation. We are ready to support the already skilled and experienced oil and gas workforce in the UK to transition effectively, as well as provide the next generation with the necessary training and competencies that will provide not just a solid grounding for their careers, but also keep high skilled jobs in the UK. At the same time, we continue to invest in assets and people to be able to serve the critically important oil & gas industry for many Maersk years to come.

Maersk Training were pioneers in the delivery of Mobile Training Facilities for the wind industry, using UK expertise to deliver projects to date in Taiwan and Saudi Arabia, as well as locations in the UK for major wind developers.

Training

delivers total training solutions to the global Energy market.

Our training ensures a safer, more competent and productive workforce and focuses on 7 key areas:

• • • • • • •

www.ogv.energy I July 2022

Oil & Gas Survival Maritime Safety Wind Crane People Skills

Talking with our customers and visiting their work locations also allows us to truly understand your needs and develop new course deliveries to suit.

A recent example is our award-winning combined Enhanced First Aid (EFA) and Advanced Rescue (AR) course, designed in conjunction with one of the world’s leading offshore wind farm developers.

This course was born from an identified competency gap, resulting in a more effective, safer workforce.

QUALITY TRAINING = COMPETENCE ASSURED Maersk Training was founded in 1978 following a blowout in the North Sea. A resulting investigation found that people had the right certificates but not the right competencies. Maersk Training was subsequently born and initially trained the various companies within the Maersk Group, before widening its scope to the global market.

We operate across nine international locations, with over 200 instructors worldwide.

CLEAR PURPOSE Maersk Training’s clear purpose is to improve safety, operational efficiency and overall performance for our customers. And, ultimately, we can help save lives – which makes it a very rewarding business to be part of.

Our goal is to combine technical knowledge with human factors and data analysis in order to provide customers with tools to improve their safety and operational performance.

To find out more, visit www.maersktraining.com

JUST LAUNCHED

IWCF Drilling & Well Control Academy Now regularly scheduled in both Aberdeen and Newcastle locations.

scan to book

Call 0330 202 0569

Email training@ais-survivex.com

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SKILLS & TRAINING

Training

Helping to upskill the energy workforce

•

Working at Height

•

Confined Space

•

Thermal Insulation

•

Protective Coatings

•

Face Fits

•

And more

Along with being the hosts to some of the industry’s most important independent training courses, such as:

GCSG Training ltd is the UKs fasted growing training centre.

Initially focusing on industrial coatings, GCSG Training ltd are now a major training provider for the Oil and Gas, North Sea industry.

GCSG Training ltd have now also launched their unique & bespoke “Training on the ropes” courses, where the intention is to combine some of the above courses with rope access methods. This would see an industry first where delegates would not only learn certain aspects of the job, but learn how to conduct these safely whilst on ropes.

“We find that what we teach on the ground is not directly transferable to the ropes, things change drastically when you’re hanging 100 feet in the air. We find that this training gives RATS (Rope access Technicians) more comfort and ultimately makes them safer & more competent, whilst on the ropes.” Said Nicky Adams, Managing Director.

•

Chartek Fire proofing application & Inspection

•

(AMPP) Coatings inspection

•

Pinovo Closed loop training

•

Pitt Char Fire proofing

•

Graco Vapor Blast

With each course being uniquely and exclusively designed for the client and their project, this will ensure the correct level of training and the correct competence of the employees whilst on the job. Ensuring that care is taken for dropped objects, correct lashing of airlines and equipment, correct rescue techniques and that the job is conducted safely and correctly.

“We can tach someone to hold a hogger (Blast hose) and fire grit into a surface at 8 bar fairly quickly. However, if you ask them to do that with no base to plant their feet and at 2 metres above the sea, it’s a whole other ball game” – Added Nicky.

For more information or to book visit www.GCSGtrainingltd.com or contact +44 79616 43887 or email training@thegcsg.com

www.ogv.energy I July 2022

SKILLS & TRAINING

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Training offers a practical solution to tackling carbon emissions

While businesses across the energy sector continue to take positive steps as part of the transition towards net-zero, there are some who remain uncertain about how to equip their organisations to face these challenges in a meaningful way.

In response to increased demand, QHSE Aberdeen has developed a suite of new training courses to help companies implement low carbon products, processes, and services.

“Accurate measurement and strategic reduction plans will help your organisation get closer to carbon neutral certification through PAS 2060.

This includes supporting clients to become carbon neutral by achieving a balance between the carbon a business emits and the amount it prevents.

“Partnering with us at QHSE Aberdeen gives you the guarantee to independently measure the emissions that are material to your company. It also gives you access to expertise in carbon management and reduction that will make your business’ journey to carbon neutral as smooth as possible.”

QHSE Aberdeen is a leading provider of professional consultancy and advisory services to organisations that require assistance with developing and implementing robust management systems.

The Westhill-based company has received greater interest in applying the internationallyrecognised PAS 2060 standard to help customers achieve carbon neutrality. Its team has assisted clients with the process of measurement, reduction, offsetting, and documentation which leads to their verification as a carbon neutral business.

QHSE Aberdeen’s qualified and experienced consultants are available to assist companies with their needs, whether that is adopting an ISO 14001 environmental management system or incorporating it into existing management systems.

One recent example saw QHSE Aberdeen support local steel fabrication and installation specialist, KR Group, develop and implement PAS 2060 and ISO 14064 methodology to demonstrate the company’s carbon neutrality.

This involved measurement using a sound methodology, reduction of emissions through a target-driven carbon management plan, and offsetting excess emissions by purchasing carbon credits that meet the schemes approved

by PAS 2060.

David Rusling, managing director of QHSE Aberdeen, explained: “Taking control of the process now rather than waiting for supply chain pressure allows organisations to turn emissions assessment and reduction to their advantage.

QHSE Aberdeen provides an extensive range of training and coaching. With a wealth of knowledge and expertise, covering all aspects of the energy industry, it understands the importance of certifications to businesses of all sizes; helping clients achieve their goals on time and on budget.

reduce emissions themselves and, once implemented, provide ongoing support to maximise their benefits.”

QHSE Aberdeen specialises in the creation and implementation of bespoke quality, health and safety, and environmental solutions that not only comply with the latest industry standards but allow clients to document their operations in a logical, nononsense way.

It is trusted by clients locally and around the world because of its professional approach; encompassing the expertise of a large organisation with the personal touch of a small company.

This ethos was recognised by judges at the 2022 Northern Star Business Awards, organised by Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce, where the business received the your Customer First honour.

The company also assists clients with funding Make opportunities, such as Scottish Enterprise’s business’ journey recently-launched low carbon manufacturing to carbon neutral as challenge fund. This will support innovative smooth as possible projects that speed up the transition to a low carbon economy in the manufacturing sector. Firms across Scotland can apply for grants with a minimum value of £150,000 over the next four years.

Business development director Angela Scott explained: “While it’s not a formal requirement at this stage, we have seen many companies taking a proactive decision to make their business less carbon intensive and demonstrate their environmental credentials to staff, suppliers, and clients ahead of mandated net zero targets coming into force.

“Through our range of training, we empower staff within clients’ organisations to

QHSE Aberdeen provides a consultancy and advisory service to organisations of all sizes and sectors that require assistance in the development and implementation of robust management systems. It operates internationally with clients from all corners of the world. Find out more at www.qhseaberdeen.com

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INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY SPONSORED BY

The UK’s largest innovation funding consultancy Our expert teams work in close partnership with thousands of businesses each year to maximise the financial benefit they receive from R&D Tax Credits, Grants, and other innovation funding schemes.

www.leyton.com

In the past year alone, we have helped our clients successfully claim more than £200m in tax relief to support their future growth.

VIEWPORT VIEW

Bringing your 3D data to life

Aberdeen-based 3D scanning specialists, Viewport3, have developed a new online 3D data viewer which offers simple, userfriendly access to 3D data files, whether that data was collected by their processes or not. As a web-based platform, it operates on any office-standard PC or laptop without any software being installed and can be accessed from anywhere.

By bringing 3D data to life, Viewport View adds value to projects – it’s that simple. It bridges the understanding gap for non-technical personnel in a way that a stack of 2D drawings simply cannot.

It’s easy to use across organisations, streamlining cross-discipline collaboration and making inclusive conversations that much easier.

Having listened and responded to customers’ needs since their launch 4 years ago, the Viewport3 team developed the low-cost Viewport View system to fill a gap in the market that meets these common needs in one product.

When can we use it?

“It is already in demand for pre-dive meetings as a critical aid to understanding the worksite before heading offshore. Viewport View also allows regulators and stakeholders to review assets and structural integrity issues, inspection results and take measurements directly from the tool.”

What’s so special about the Viewport View?

Fellow founder, Richard Drennan, said: “Many viewers that we have previously encountered come armed with hundreds of complex capabilities, at a high monthly licence fee. We were aware that our customers were only using a fraction of these capabilities, so we devised our own straightforward, intuitive and simpleto-use viewer to meet this demand for a more streamlined product.

Viewport3 co-founder, Chris Harvey said: “While we have already built a very strong reputation for 3D scanning in the offshore and topside sectors, Viewport View is applicable across any number of industries: it can be used as a virtual worksite induction tool before arriving at a remote worksite, and even a virtual training base for complex equipment. People also like to be able to see the data we collected on their behalf and manipulate it in a 3D environment at their own pace.

“Viewport View offers a clean and simple layout, accompanied by self-explanatory viewing options and tools, which allows you to communicate with customers and colleagues, while manipulating the 3D data. It’s lightweight and simple, with a pricing structure to match. The onboarding process is equally straightforward: we issue customers with a link and a user guide, and they’re good to go, but of course the Viewport3 team are always on hand to offer support when required.

“Using the platform helps to increase the awareness and understanding of personnel examining and using their 3D data, and in so doing adds cost-effective value to HSE planning, site awareness, HIRAs, and risk assessment meetings.

“We’re fully aware there’s a multitude of 3D data out there in our industry and in others. Our viewer platform is able to ingest customers’ own data as well as any collected by us, and re-purpose these for their own uses.”

www.ogv.energy I July 2022

Viewport3 Viewport3 specialise in providing 3D scanning and reverse engineering services - using digital cameras to obtain technical grade point-cloud data, which the firm then processes into 3D to produce straightforward reports and outputs. Since 2017, Viewport3 conservatively estimate £13m in savings for customers by deploying their high-end 3D scanning and processing techniques.

3D scanning and reverse engineering specialists.

To find out more, visit viewport3.com

OUR DIGITAL INDUSTRY SPONSORED BY

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About Sword Liisa Kinnear leads Sword’s Modern Workplace Practice.

With over 20 years of experience, Liisa and her team help customers to modernise and improve their business operations.

www.sword-group.com

As the North Sea’s largest provider of data and digital services, Sword focuses on solving the industry’s most critical business technology challenges by enabling our clients to capture, manage, and utilise data to make informed decisions. This is supported by technology adoption and people engagement, together with modern ways of working to give confidence that the right decision is made every time.

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT: BEHIND THE SCENES IN DIGITAL ACCELERATION

with a centralised cloud storage solution and a single data entry point that integrates with the organisation’s wider modern data platform.

The gives both offshore and onshore teams the ability to administer the process to provide consistent data capture, as well as enabling automated compliance reporting and opening opportunities for improved data insights and future planning.

As the energy sector looks to accelerate its data and digital maturity to reduce costs, increase efficiencies and remain competitive, one key consideration is ‘Should you build or buy your software?’ The answer is really both, and a hybrid approach is often the best option.

Our industry runs on an astonishing amount of software for data capture, interrogation and decision making. This has been the case for decades, however rapid technology evolution coupled with people becoming increasingly digitally savvy, means that the age of the ‘citizen software developer’ is upon is.

Sword works collaboratively with our customers, adopting an agile software development approach. We provide the technical know-how and encourage subject matter experts from your business to guide the development process.

The energy industry is full of paper-based activities, old aging systems and products on the periphery, and these are where we can focus on shifting into modern ways of working. Using advances in technology, we have access to reliable tools from mainstream software providers that we can use to create bespoke solutions that accelerate an organisation’s digital maturity.

Software development to accelerate digital transformation

Solving energy sector problems with software development

At Sword, we often work with customers using a ‘low-code’ software development approach, which aims to optimise the development process to accelerate delivery. Some of our most significant digital transformation projects have utilised Microsoft’s development platform, Power Platform. Our developers explain that the cloud-based platform’s capacity to combine low-code application development with workflow automation, artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics tools mean Sword can take on the role of a digital partner to tackle our customer’s complex challenges with confidence.

Sword recently worked with an oil and gas operator’s offshore teams to replace multiple systems for data entry and paper-based processes. Cumbersome, legacy applications were superseded by easy-to-use, mobilefriendly applications for the likes of instrument reading, observations, and maintenance planning. The results included greatly improved efficiency and enhanced system integration, both offshore and onshore and all on a single enterprise platform.

We enable our customers to allow their business users to develop their own applications within clearly defined boundaries, sticking to newly streamlined processes that enable organisations to make the most of modern tools and techniques. Microsoft Power Platform works particularly well for small-scale productivity applications with customers’ empowered users – who have the best handle on which processes should be streamlined – which helps bring a common approach across a multitude of organisational activities into a single platform.

The diagram shows a machine inspection application we developed, designed to be used on offshore assets on rugged tablets. This replaced an expensive legacy application that was no longer being used to its full potential as the hardware required to run it was obsolete. In some instances, staff had started reverting to paper based processes!

Using components of Microsoft Power Platform, we created a simple user interface,

Liisa Kinnear

We work through three development phases to ensure the foundations are in place from technology, people, and processes perspectives.

Once we are set up for success, we proceed with development, applying DevOps best practices to build iteratively with regular testing and feedback. We can now get something into a customer’s hands much more quickly than traditional development. This allows customers to input feedback more quickly too - progress and updates take hours, days, or weeks rather than weeks, months, and years.

The development itself can sometimes outpace the business adoption and readiness for change, so our final phase is to support the adoption of the new application. As the business gets to grips with the opportunities the new application offers, we help capture and prioritise ongoing improvements, taking advantage of any new features or functionality that the platform offers.

To gain the most transformational benefits from any software development investment, we recommend choosing a digital partner who has proven success in delivering business technology solutions to overcome energy sector organisations' most complex businesscritical challenges.

Business critical applications need to be designed and developed in such a way that they have the correct, rigorous controls in place to reduce security risk. With the right level of ongoing guidance and support, our customers can use their tools to continually meet their organisations’ increasing digital demands and benefit from the efficiencies such a powerful platform brings, like improved data accuracy and real-time data access.

For more information, visit www.sword-group.com

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RENEWABLES SPONSORED BY

Step into a safer environment High quality, industrial anti-slip safety products.

www.scotgrip.com

For over 30 years, we’ve designed and manufactured market-leading anti-slip safety products that hugely improve safety standards on stairways, walkways, decks, ladders, ramps, gangways and pipes, in a range of industrial settings.

GREEN HYDROGEN OFFERS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO DIVERSIFY INTO RENEWABLES RenewableUK speaks to ITM Power.

Replacing fossil-fuel based “grey” hydrogen with “green” hydrogen produced using renewables presents a major decarbonisation opportunity.

Dr Graham Cooley

www.ogv.energy I July 2022

Green hydrogen will play a key role in cleaning up sectors which have been difficult to decarbonise so far, for example in industrial processes, such as glass, steel and chemical production, and heavy-duty transport. It will also allow us to make the most of the enormous quantities of electricity we are generating from renewables.

It is a key area of focus for manufacturers of electrolysis equipment, like ITM Power, which use renewable electricity to split water into oxygen and hydrogen without carbon emissions.

At present, 70Mt of hydrogen are produced globally per year, almost half of which is for refining within the oil and gas industry. Refineries currently use a huge amount of fossil-fuel based hydrogen (or “grey” hydrogen). If you take, for example, Shell’s Rhineland refinery in Germany, it uses 180,000 tonnes of grey hydrogen a year,

much of which is used for oil refining. Green hydrogen provides a means to decarbonise these processes in the transitionary period as we move closer towards a net zero economy.

“What we do for the oil and gas industry is reduce their reliance upon hydrogen made using natural gas by replacing it with green hydrogen made using renewable power, thereby reducing the carbon footprint,” said Dr Graham Cooley, CEO of ITM Power. “Now, the reason that’s important is that all refineries in Europe under RED II have to make 14% of their products renewably by 2030.

What electrolysis offers the oil and gas industry is decarbonisation at a huge scale.”

A 100MW project which ITM Power and Shell are currently working on at the aforementioned Rhineland refinery is going to make sustainable

RENEWABLES

aviation fuel. In this case, the process combines captured carbon with green hydrogen to make synthetic kerosene, but you can also make renewable methanol.

Natural gas has been touted as a bridging fuel as economies transition from a coal-dependent energy mix to one supported by renewables.

However, recent data from climate analytics firm TransitionZero indicated that it would be cheaper for some countries to avoid using natural gas altogether, and instead go straight to using renewables. While the falling costs of renewables and battery storage are one part of the equation, another key component is the rising cost and volatility of natural gas. While prices have been increasing for the last few years, the Ukraine crisis has significantly increased the volatility in the price of natural gas. In fact, it has increased the price to the extent that grey hydrogen, which uses natural gas as a feedstock, is now at cost parity with green hydrogen, excluding the cost of carbon.

According to Dr Cooley: “This means not only do you get an energy gas which has got parity with fossil derived hydrogen, you also get very low price volatility, because when you connect using a purchase power agreement (PPA) to a renewable source, you get zero volatility for the lifetime of the PPA. So, there are very important reasons why you would replace natural gas as your feedstock with hydrogen made from renewable energy, they are: the price is right, the volatility is low, you get zero carbon, and fuel security. You get a supply of energy gas without having to engage in the geopolitics of natural gas.”

“I think the oil and gas industry needs to be thinking strategically and long term and not tactically short term,” said Dr Cooley. “The Oil and Gas industry has made huge profits since the COVID lockdowns and during the Ukraine crisis and I think what they should doing now is investing those profits to help them to

get through the energy transition and to be profitable companies on the other end of the transition. Oil and gas companies need to do something more creative with their high profits than giving their shareholders dividends. That is not a long-term solution and it isn’t very creative. They need to be investing in renewable energy and long duration energy storage based on making molecules using electrolysis.

That is my strongly held view and, if they don’t, and they keep on doing more and more fossil fuels, then they’re not going to make the energy transition, and they will not provide for their shareholders a solid long-term proposition.”

“I don’t believe that the solution for decarbonising domestic heat is only heat pumps. Under some circumstances, that might be the answer, but a very large percentage of all the dwellings in the UK are already connected to a gas infrastructure, and it is lower cost to transmit energy as a gas than it is as electricity, and it is an existing infrastructure with sunk capital. I think we should be utilising it,” said Dr Cooley. “The gas grid is also used to transport energy to district heat schemes and to industry, both very important when it comes to decarbonisation. You could put 20% hydrogen into the gas grid, which is an early win, then there are many studies already ongoing like the European Hydrogen Backbone initiative to decarbonise the whole of the gas grid in Europe.”

“My view is that it’s incredibly important that the hydrogen industry develops in parallel with the renewable power industry,” said Dr Cooley. “You want two industries to grow in parallel. You want a rapidly growing renewable energy market, that is a market that produces net zero electrons, and in parallel, you want the green hydrogen industry where electrolysers produce net zero molecules. You are then decarbonising together with two industries that scale together, electrons and molecules, renewable power and long duration energy storage.”

The energy transition is an absolute imperative for every industry, a truth as universal for oil and gas as it is for ammonia and food production. However, it also presents a major opportunity. Indeed, Dr Cooley says, “Decarbonisation is not just a problem for the oil and gas industry, it is a huge industrial opportunity.

Those companies that get their business models right, will be centre stage of the fourth industrial revolution. They ought to look upon it as an opportunity and not a problem.”

Opportunity knocks but once, as the proverb goes, and with less than three decades until 2050, the oil and gas industry should ensure that it is ready to seize that opportunity, diversify and create business models that are sustainable both financially and environmentally.

RENEWABLES

SPONSORED BY

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COMPANY NEWS

2022 success

continues for Re-Gen Robotics as team in US talks

Fresh from a round of exploratory talks with oil terminal owners in the US, Managing Director Fintan Duffy discusses how his company has navigated its major growth trajectory since inception and how his team have helped him build a global company worthy of its recent accolades.

Mr. Duffy was presented with the Outstanding Achievement Award at the 5th Global Tank Storage Awards 2022 which took place in Rotterdam on 24 May 2022.

Terminals, Ports and individuals from across the globe were recognised for their achievements in sustainability, efficiency and innovation. Mr Duffy was recognised by the international jury for his commitment to his role and for his achievements in non-man entry tank cleaning.

He says: “While I was delighted to be honoured with this award and recognised by my industry peers, it would not have been possible without the support of our very talented team. Our successes are not down to one person, one piece of equipment nor one part of our service but a composite of our entire offering and one that no business can duplicate.

“Re-Gen Robotics is spearheading the revolution in tank cleaning and our collective experience in robotic design and delivering an award-winning service, is what has propelled us far ahead of the competition.”

Responding to the rising number of confined space deaths, Fintan assembled a team to design a bespoke robotic cleaning service that eradicated the need for human entry into tanks. He said: “Our team has redefined how the dirtiest most dangerous tanks are cleaned, and we have set a new benchmark for tank cleaning in the sector.”

www.ogv.energy I July 2022

Since December 2021 Re-Gen Robotics "The service we provide from start to finish is has picked up the Energy Industry Council’s straightforward and completely transparent.

Innovation Award for delivering enhanced Any challenges that arise are dealt with swiftly, products, services and strategies to meet with full transparency and with the appreciation specific client needs and for building that the efficiency of the clean is crucial to differentiation in the sector; the Sustainability planning schedules so that the tanks can be Award for taking responsibility brought back into operation within the as part of their business agreed timeframes. strategy, to conserve natural "The speed, openness and resources and protect competence of Re-Gen Robotics “Our team has global ecosystems and team has been the cornerstone the Company of the redefined how the dirtiest of our success, for our 100% Year Award which was client retention rate and most dangerous tanks are decided based upon attaining the highest levels of their best practice cleaned, and we have set customer satisfaction. scores from the EIC’s 57 a new benchmark for tank industry judges.

"Our experienced tank cleaning professionals cleaning in the sector.”

The Northern Ireland understand the challenges Regional Chamber our clients face, and our team MD Fintan Duffy of Commerce Problem can mobilise our equipment at Solver Award recognised short notice to carry out a cleans Re-Gen Robotics for businesses for any size or condition of tank, that transforming a product/service or are up to 80% faster than manned cleans, the market it operates in and a Made in NI therefore minimising operation downtime of Award for Digital Engineering/Technology client assets.” which recognises the best used or developed software, technology or technical processes Re-Gen Robotics’ highly standardised and to solve problems or add value for customers. self-contained operation process means that The company’s unparalleled technology and service is being used as a benchmark by competitors, and Mr. Duffy says: “What we can offer clients is a truly reimagined product and service that makes tank cleaning inconceivably better than anything that has gone before. We have gradually built a major position in the mainstream tank cleaning sector as it in turn, makes a seismic shift in attitude towards safety.

"We believe our success is down to our absolute commitment to no man entry and having a resolute focus on customers’ requirements – giving them the best service through in-depth research and analysis of their needs.

"Our experienced team understands that Oil & Gas companies are looking to gain greater operational efficiencies and drive their productivity so our focus is to establish what we can offer to provide the most value for them.

the tank cleaning schedule is always very precise - so clients can reasonably estimate the downtime needed to clean their tanks. The process includes fixed costs, reduced paperwork and permits and no requirement for capital outlay or standby rescue teams.

The company’s tried and tested performance goes far beyond industry requirements, and their good industry practice and prudence is derived from operational experience that no other company can boast.

Mr Duffy says that: “Compared to anything else on the market, our tank cleaning solutions are virtually risk free and far more efficient and economical.

“We are constantly improving our products and service and growing aggressively within our sector. With two new prestigious contracts under their belts, 17 employees now in force and a recruitment campaign underway, Re-Gen Robotics is gearing up to roll out its tank cleaning service and technology to customers across the globe."

Re-Gen Robotics is the first and only Zone 0 EX certified, remote controlled, ‘No Man Entry’ robotic tank cleaning company, in the UK and Ireland.

For further information visit www.regenrobotics.com

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Still using pen and paper for your hazardous area inspections?

Clients deploying IntrinsixEX experience • multi-million pound savings • payback within a year • improved operational excellence • compliance • asset integrity • reduced OPEX.

Contact us today to learn how to streamline your inspections and maintenance Arnlea Systems Ltd Johnstone House 50-54 Rose Street Aberdeen AB10 IUD UK +44 1224 620000 Arnlea Systems Inc. 12848 Queensbury Lane #208 Houston TX 77024 USA +1 346 200 5646 info@arnlea.com

arnlea.com

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CONTRACT AWARDS SPONSORED BY

Infinity Partnership: Your Partner in Business Infinity Partnership is an award-winning, multi-disciplinary accountancy and business advisory practice, with a proactive approach to customer service.

www.infinity-partnership.com

Infinity has been a five-time winner at the British Accountancy Awards and has been a three-time finalist at the Scottish Accountancy Awards in recent times.

Energean contract Stena IceMAX The drillship, which was used to make the Athena gas discovery last month, has just completed the drilling of the Karish Main-04 appraisal well.

Karish is the gas field in the Mediterranean Sea off Israel that Energean plans to develop using the Energean Power FPSO, which earlier this month arrived at its offshore location, raising objections from Lebanon.

As for the KM-04 appraisal well results, Energean CEO Mathios Rigas, Chief Executive said:"Operations at the KM-04 appraisal well have been successfully completed ahead of schedule and below budget, meeting the primary objectives set pre-drill.

Mediterranean Sea-focused oil and gas company has exercised its options to drill two further wells offshore Israel using Stena Drilling's drillship Stena IceMAX.

The well was completed 15 days ahead of schedule and $9 million below budget at a cost of $36 million. The primary objectives of the well were to further appraise gas volumes in the flanks of the structure; and reduce

uncertainties associated with liquid content in the central fault blocks.

According to Energean, gas and associated liquids were encountered in the previously undrilled fault block between Karish Main and Karish North; has was encountered in the A-sands on the flanks of the Karish Main structure, these sands were tested and fluid samples obtained; and an oil rim was confirmed in the central part of the field, with thickness towards the lower end of the pre-drill expectation range (5-10metres vs. 0-100metres pre-drill).

"A sample of oil was obtained for testing.

Energean expects to be able to commercialise the oil volumes through the existing well stock. Additional analysis will now be undertaken to further refine reserve volumes and the liquids-to-gas ratio across the Karish lease," Energean said.

Craig International wins major, long-term contract with INEOS FPS options) to deliver consolidated procurement services to INEOS FPS. This includes the supply of maintenance, repair and operations equipment for its Grangemouth base which operates the Forties Pipeline System.

Craig International will service the contract from its Aberdeen headquarters using its bespoke digital platforms: ebuy and ecobuy.

These innovative digital platforms provide cost and efficiency savings through the streamlining of electronic processes and the ability to source globally and supply locally.

This is backed-up by an advanced ecobuy platform to help customers reduce their carbon footprint.

Aberdeen headquartered, Craig International has secured a major contract with INEOS FPS, potentially valued at over £20million.

ecobuy offers Craig International customers the opportunity to select more sustainable products, while combining orders to reduce vehicle, and particularly HGV journeys. It has a significant environmental impact with less disposable materials, including plastics, and less fuel, while increasing the number of products that can be reused and recycled.

Following a competitive tender, the global energy procurement specialist has been awarded a five-year contract (with two year

Jill MacDonald, joint managing director of Craig International, said: “We are thrilled to welcome INEOS FPS to our extensive

www.ogv.energy I July 2022

portfolio of companies supporting the North Sea’s offshore energy industry, after a rigorous and competitive tendering process.

“Our e-commerce and approach to sustainability were major factors in this contract award. As the industry ramps up efforts to support global net zero targets, there is a growing recognition that procurement plays a crucial part in reducing carbon emissions. Combining ebuy and ecobuy, we are actively addressing this through a suite of sustainable and technology-driven procurement solutions. INEOS FPS has recognised the value of this offering, along with the efficiencies we bring, and we look forward to supporting their operations over the next five years and beyond.”

With almost 130 staff, Craig International has a global network of pre-qualified suppliers, and over 80 procurement specialists in eight countries, providing cost-effective and efficient third- party procurement. Craig International provides a truly global service to the energy industry through its bases in the UK, Cape Town, Canada, Qatar, Oman, the UAE, Germany and the USA.

CONTRACT AWARDS

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Petrofac wins five-year services provider contract Petrofac, a leading services company in the energy sector, has been awarded an Integrated Services Provider (ISP) contract

by Anasuria Operating Company (AOC) to provide onshore and offshore personnel and a range of technical support services.

The five-year contract, which has an option to extend, starts in June.

The new contract follows a long history of providing outsourced support for the Anasuria FPSO (Floating Production Storage

and Offloading). Petrofac has been duty holder for AOC since 2016 when the asset was divested from Shell.

As part of the transition, the Duty Holder role will transfer to AOC, while the majority of the offshore workforce will continue to be provided by Petrofac.

Nick Shorten, Chief Operating Officer for Petrofac’s Asset Solutions business said: “I’m proud that we are supporting our long-term client AOC in their ambitions to maximise value in the North Sea.”

Aker Solutions bags another North Sea extension with ConocoPhillips U.S.-headquartered energy giant ConocoPhillips has awarded another extension for maintenance and modification work on its North Sea fields to Norway’s offshore engineering services provider Aker Solutions.

The latest extension will enable Aker Solutions to continue as ConocoPhillips’ main supplier of maintenance and modifications work offshore Norway. Thanks to this extension, the agreement will run from January 2024 until the end of 2026.

Aker Solutions revealed that it has secured a significant three-year contract extension to an existing framework agreement for work at North Sea fields operated by ConocoPhillips Skandinavia. Aker Solutions defines a significant contract as worth between NOK 1.5 billion (over $158 million) and NOK 2.5 billion (around $263.5 million).

Paal Eikeseth, executive vice president and head of Aker Solutions’ electrification, maintenance and modifications business, remarked: “We are pleased to continue our longstanding relationship with ConocoPhillips and look forward to continue to deliver our solutions and services to one of the largest maintenance and modifications portfolios offshore Norway.”

To remind, the original framework agreement was inked in February 2016 for a period of five years. In September 2020, the Norwegian engineering services player secured its first three-year contract extension.

The engineering services provider explained that the contract value will be determined by future call-offs for maintenance and modifications work and could range between

NOK 500 million (about $52.7 million) and NOK 800 million (over $84.3 million) per year.

The company also added that this estimate does not represent a minimum or maximum amount and is subject to change.

Furthermore, Aker Solutions confirmed that the work will be managed and executed by its office in Stavanger and fabrication yard in Egersund. In addition, this deal will provide work for the company’s offshore employees.

The Norwegian player further stated that this contract will be booked as order intake in the second quarter of 2022 in the Electrification, Maintenance and Modifications segment.

When it comes to Aker Solutions’ latest deals with other operators, the Norwegian company won a seven-year extension of its maintenance and modifications agreement with OKEA in March 2022.

Alicat secures £2 million contract to build further two new vessels for North Star’s renewables fleet North Star has awarded a £2 million contract to Great Yarmouth firm Alicat Workboats for the construction of two new Chartwell designed daughter craft. The vessels will be added to its new renewables fleet which is bound for the Dogger Bank Wind Farm off the North East coast of England from next year.

Last September, the marine and engineering specialist firm successfully won a competitive tender to build an initial two daughter crafts for the offshore wind service vessel operator utilising a game changing hybrid powered design, developed by leading sustainable naval architect Chartwell Marine, in collaboration with North Star. The partnership has resulted in the build of high-performance vessels that combine diesel and electric outboard propulsion, a first for the offshore wind market.

North Star’s first fleet purpose built for offshore wind operations and maintenance (O&M) support is being delivered to the Dogger Bank Wind Farm partners Equinor, SSE Renewables and Eni Plenitude, from February next year. The full tonnage package includes four of North Star’s unique hybrid-powered service operation vessels (SOVs). These ships provide stateof-the-art comfort and accommodation for

wind farm technicians working in field and encompass the latest green technologies to integrate and futureproof for zero emission fuels in the future.

The four vessels being built by Alicat to the Chartwell Daughter Craft design specifications will support operations with the safe transfer of maintenance technicians and equipment between the SOVs and wind turbines at Dogger Bank Wind Farm during phases A, B, and C, providing further flexibility in field when it comes to personnel deployment and logistics.

The Dogger Bank Wind Farm is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40%), Equinor (40%) and Eni Plenitude (20%).

Alicat director Simon Coote said: “As we continue to work towards completing the first two daughter craft for North Star’s first offshore wind fleet, we are very pleased that our craftmanship, continued collaboration and expertise has been recognised and we have been awarded this multimillion-pound contract for two additional daughter craft.

“This commitment from North Star helps to sustain our business for a further two years,

creating new employment opportunities and securing our workforce for the long term. We currently have a very loyal and dedicated team, and we anticipate increasing our headcount with a further five new hires in the coming months, including up to three new apprentices.”

Andrew Duncan, renewables director at North Star said: “As the UK’s largest offshore infrastructure support vessel operator, we have a proven track record of successfully delivering multiple newbuild projects simultaneously and therefore we have incredibly high standards for those we engage with to help achieve and maintain this."

CONTRACT AWARDS SPONSORED BY

ON THE MOVE

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Norman Broadbent

SPONSORED BY

Genevieve leads the Natural Resources practice at Norman Broadbent Group. Her career spans 25 years in executive search, leadership capability development, talent pipelining and in-house HR management. Her client base and professional network is broad, covering Natural Resources, Energy and Chemicals.

We have a simple and straightforward objective: to help our clients manage and successfully drivedrive change, mitigate risk, and successfully change, grow, andrisk, succeed. mitigate grow, and succeed.

www.normanbroadbent.com

Our portfolio of integrated Leadership Acquisition & Advisory Services, coupled with our with #ClientFirst philosophy, coupled our #ClientFirst collaborative innovative culture, and philosophy, collaborative innovative trusted brand, makes us a proven culture, and trusted brand, makes us a business partner. provenbusiness partner.

Michael Wallace, Client Partner

Genevieve Mort, Director

Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG) appoints five new board members.

The new board directors will help to guide AREG in its next stage of development following a significant 68% increase in membership in the last year.

1

2

Sven van den Bedem, Energy Transition Manager, Shell.

He brings over 17 years’ energy leadership experience and has headed large scale decarbonisation and renewables projects and is helping to transition the business towards net zero.

3

Jason Hendry, Managing Director for England and Renewables Strategy, Peterson, who has 25 years’ experience in managing operations in highly regulated industries.

He oversees the provision of logistics support to offshore assets and is responsible for developing and progressing the company’s renewables strategy globally.

Nassima Brown, Co-founder and Director of Business Strategy, Fennex. She brings significant global energy sector experience with a career spanning over 20 years in nine different countries and expertise in AI and cloud computing technology as Fennex accelerates digital transformation in the sector.

4

5

Rodney Hutchison, Legal Director, MacRoberts LLP, who previously acted as company secretary and general legal counsel for AREG and brings over 20 years’ experience as a commercial lawyer, supporting the transition of energy businesses.

Alfonso MartinezFelipe, Senior Lecturer, University of Aberdeen, who is the author of 48 peer-reviewed research papers. He is senior advisor of the PrototAU student engineering team and hydrogen champion at the Centre for Energy Transition and is a vocal promoter of new and cleaner technologies.

The new appointees join existing board directors Jean Morrison (Chair), Gordon McIntosh and Philip Bell. Aberdeen City Council will also be appointing a representative

Matt Street Raimbault Christophe

6

New Vice President Sustainability and New Energy

Valaris Limited has announced that Christophe Raimbault, Vice President and interim Head of Marketing will take on a new role as Vice President – Sustainability and New Energy.

Mr Raimbault will continue to serve as Vice President and interim Head of Marketing until Matt Lyne joins Valaris as Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, which is expected to occur in the third quarter of 2022.

www.ogv.energy I July 2022

Bill Higgs

7

CEO of Genel Energy Steps Down with Immediate Effect

CEO of Genel Energy, Bill Higgs is stepping down with immediate effect. Paul Weir, Genel’s COO, will take over as interim CEO. Weir joined Genel in January 2020, from Tullow Oil, where had worked as head of operations and safety.

Genel chair David McManus said Higgs had worked “tirelessly” at Genel and overseen a positive change.

Philippe Barril

8

Heerema Marine Contractors names SBM’s Philippe Barril as new CEO

SBM Offshore's Philippe Barril (pictured) is to join Heerema Marine Contractors as chief executive on 1 September 2022. He is currently chief transition manager at SBM, where he has also held the post of chief operations officer. He has been a nonexecutive director at DEEPOCEAN and McDermott.

The move is one of a number of changes to the Heerema board of directors both in terms of structure and composition.

ON THE MOVE

11

Shell Catalyst & Technologies (SC&T) nominates President

9

Marco Alverà

Tree Energy Solutions appoints new Group CEO

The Board of Tree Energy Solutions (TES), a world-scale green hydrogen company with a mission to deliver on a net-zero future by decarbonising the energy chain, has announced the appointment of Marco Alverà as its group chief executive officer (CEO).

Alverà will also be an investor in the company.

Alverà brings to TES 20 years of experience as a leader and CEO in energy companies and extensive hydrogen expertise, which will help to drive innovative projects forward and fast-track decarbonisation goals in Europe and beyond.

Elsie H Nowee

Shell Catalyst & Technologies (SC&T) announces nomination of Elsie H Nowee as President.

She will succeed Andy Gosse who has served in the role since 2018. Nowee will be based in the Netherlands and report to Yuri Sebregts, Executive Vice President Technology for Shell. Since joining Shell nearly 30 years ago as a chemical engineer in the Pernis Refinery in the Netherlands, Nowee has held leadership positions in regional and global teams in manufacturing,

commercial, sales, economic optimisation, oil-chemical integration, Joint-Ventures and supply chain management. Currently she serves as General Manager for the Lubricants Supply Chain organisation in Europe, Middle East and Africa, an organisation that produces 4,500 types of lubricants that are supplied to customers in more than 75 countries. Before this, Nowee held the position of Regional Base Chemicals and Global Base Oils Manager.

Kenny Anderson

10

New Strategy Director for EnerMech

EnerMech announces the promotion of Kenny Anderson to the newly created role of Strategy Director. Mr Anderson started his career in corporate finance working for Simmons & Company International. On joining EnerMech in 2014, he spent 3 years working in contractual and commercial roles before moving into a corporate position where he was part of the transaction team involved in securing investment from parent company, Carlyle Group.

He then progressed to a strategic development managerial role with oversight of group-level reporting and business analytics. In pursuit of driving the company’s growth priorities across its core markets, which include semiconductors, infrastructure, renewable and low carbon industries, Anderson will be accountable for implementing strategies across the group with a focus on workforce capability development and increasing end market activities.

Chris Weber

12

Matt Lyne

New Appointments for Valaris

13

New Appointments for Valaris

Chris Weber will join Valaris as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

Matt Lyne will join Valaris as Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer.

Weber is expected to start in the third quarter of 2022. Chris Weber previously served as Chief Financial Officer of LUFKIN Industries, the leading global provider of rod lift optimisation solutions, products, technologies and services to the oil and gas industry. Weber has also served as Chief Financial Officer of Abaco Drilling Technologies, Halliburton and Parker Drilling Company, and also held senior finance roles at Valaris predecessor companies, Ensco and Pride International.

Lyne is expected to start in the third quarter of 2022. Matt Lyne joins Valaris from Seadrill, where he served in a number of senior marketing and commercial roles for more than 12 years, most recently as Executive Vice President, Chief Commercial and Strategy Officer. Lyne also held a number of senior operational and functional roles with Transocean before joining Seadrill. Lyne has over 20 years of offshore drilling experience in various international locations.

Content provided by Norman Broadbent

43

44

DECOMMISSIONING SPONSORED BY

www.wellsafesolutions.com

SAFE, SMART & EFFICIENT The complete package for well decommissioning Well-Safe Solutions provides a ground-breaking approach to the safe and cost-efficient decommissioning of on and offshore wells. We offer a specialist well abandonment service that allows operators to meet the challenges and regulatory imperatives around decommissioning, while significantly reducing costs.

Xodus forms advisory group to tackle decommissioning challenges in Australia Global energy consultancy Xodus has established a new Contaminant Advisory Group to help tackle the decommissioning regulatory challenges facing operators in Australia.

The group, which includes representatives from ANSTO, SA Radiation, Total Hazardous Integrated Solutions and Qa3, has been formed in response to the Australian Government’s Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Amendment Bill which aims to strengthen and clarify Australia’s offshore oil and gas regulatory framework.

The bill, an amendment to the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006, requires operators who are decommissioning in situ to report their precise contamination levels to limit further pollution.

The Contaminant Advisory Group has been created to provide advice and integrated solutions on the best approach to decommissioning and the associated contamination issues. The members’

combined capabilities and experience will evaluate potential contamination risks for offshore and onshore infrastructure (both in-situ and through the disposal or recycling pathways), particularly in relation to naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) and mercury, common by-products during oil and gas extraction.

NORM and mercury are hazardous materials and may pose a risk to the environment if not dealt with appropriately during decommissioning and can be difficult to detect without expert knowledge and skill. There are currently only a select number of companies that have developed both the skillsets, experience and equipment necessary to detect, differentiate and treat these contaminants.

Using its knowledge on full field decommissioning, Xodus will lead the team of specialised contaminant consultants,

having benefitted from established ongoing relationships with operators in the region.

Alasdair Gray, Late Life and Decommissioning Lead at Xodus said: “We believe that collaboration will be key to the future success of decommissioning in the region, and we are excited to bring this group together to tackle some important challenges relating to legacy offshore oil and gas equipment.

“As laid out in NOPSEMA’s recent research strategy, the risk of contaminants is one of the primary knowledge gaps. Each member of the group has proven experience in the areas of NORM and mercury research, detection, analysis, decontamination and disposal. In bringing these experts together, we can provide not only Australian operators but the wider supply chain with an end-to-end solution to support their decommissioning decision making and ultimate demonstration of ALARP to the regulator.

Oil-well decommissioning specialist Well-Safe raises £50m for expansion The new money will be used to acquire WellSafe's third decommissioning rig, and takes the total sum raised by the company to more than £150m.

It comes amid warnings from a number of North Sea oil producers that their investment plans risk being stymied by the government's planned windfall tax, following a surge in industry profits.

Notwithstanding new capital investments, however, nearly 1,800 wells require decommissioning in the North Sea over the next decade.

A pioneering oil-well decommissioning specialist has raised a further £50m to fuel its international expansion amid growing demand fuelled by the transition to a net-zero economy.

Sky News understands that Well-Safe Solutions, which was established in 2017, has raised the money from a group of investors led by MW&L Capital Partners, a London-based principal investment and financial advisory firm.

MW&L - headed by former Goldman Sachs partners Julian Metherell and Matthew Westerman, and Peter Livanos, a member of one of Europe's oldest shipping dynasties - also participated in Well-Safe's two funding rounds in 2019 and 2020.

www.ogv.energy I July 2022

Phil Milton, Well-Safe's chief executive, said: "The capital raised in previous investment rounds has been instrumental in enabling the company to put in place a world-class portfolio of bespoke well plug and abandonment (P&A) assets, backed by expert onshore and offshore teams.

multi-well, multi-operator approach to well decommissioning."

Well-Safe was set up by a trio of industry executives including Alasdair Locke, who made a fortune from the sale of Abbot, his oil and gas services business.

WSS has also received funding from Scottish Enterprise.

Mr Locke's other business successes include presiding over the growth of Motor Fuel Group, one of the UK's largest petrol station operators - and which is now itself up for sale.

"This financing allows a step change in the capabilities of Well-Safe Solutions, enabling us to be competitive on a global basis," Mr Locke said.

Based in Aberdeen, Well-Safe employs 230 people onshore and offshore, and has contracts with companies such as Ithaca Energy.

"These investments are now bearing fruit thanks to recent contract wins and workscopes throughout the North Sea for our rigs and well engineering teams.

It argues that its 'P&A Club' approach to decommissioning is groundbreaking because it pairs oil and gas expertise with investment in bespoke, fit-for-purpose marine and land-based assets.

"As we continue to build upon Well-Safe's operational record, we are looking forward to exporting this model to new markets, which have expressed an interest in our collaborative,

The company's other backers include Tony Hayward, the former BP chief executive, and Marcel van Poecke, a senior energy executive at Carlyle, the buyout firm.

DECOMMISSIONING Oil-well decommissioning specialist Well-Safe raises £50m for expansion Well management expert, Exceed has announced the award of a milestone, vessel-based well plugging and abandonment campaign to be carried out in partnership with Mermaid Subsea Services UK (Mermaid) on behalf of four operators.

The result of a tranche of initial bids from the strategic partnership builds upon Exceed’s 130+ well abandonment track record and is the company’s largest vesselbased well P&A campaign to date, whilst representing Mermaid’s entry into the North Sea marketplace.

Due to commence Q3, the multi-operator vessel-based campaign is thought to be one of the largest campaigns of its type to be undertaken on the UKCS for at least a decade, and currently comprises the decommissioning of ten E&A wells across Northern, Central and Southern areas.

Based on the campaign approach, which has been highlighted as an important lever in the cost reduction of well P&A, the potential for this to become a multi-operator programme was the objective upon which the partnership was founded.

Mermaid Operations Director, Scott Cormack, who brings two decades of decommissioning and well P&A experience to his role, explains: “New contracting models are critical to achieving the decommissioning cost reduction target set by the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA).

However, the NSTA reported in 2021 that these models were yet to become the norm, and that a lack of collaboration was, in part, responsible.

“Our aim is to help address that situation, not only through our own collaboration with well management leaders Exceed, but also by encouraging operators to consider the benefits of a lump sum, campaign approach to decommissioning. That this has been the precise outcome of our first campaign is testament to the clear appetite for this approach amongst the operator community.”

technical downhole capabilities but also complete control over vessel schedules.

John Anderson, Commercial Director for Exceed comments: “Our well decommissioning experts have worked on some of the sector’s highest profile abandonment campaigns, and it’s clear to us that this partnership brings something unique to the sector; a turnkey well P&A service, which provides not only the

NSTA Head of Decommissioning Pauline Innes said: “The NSTA is actively promoting multi-operator, well-decommissioning campaigns – which can deliver substantial cost efficiencies, reduce emissions and give suppliers confidence to invest – and is encouraged this approach has gained traction in the North Sea market.”

“In this way, we can optimise timings to allow for multi-operator campaigns. With mobilisation/demobilisation accounting for a third of the total well P&A cost, this approach makes good economic sense, as well as minimising the environmental impact of multiple, separate campaigns.”

Esso commences tender for decommissioning The company is requesting technical submissions from a number of experienced offshore heavy lift contractors for this initial tender phase, who must outline how they propose to undertake the platform removal activities required.

“Given the complexity of decommissioning offshore facilities, we expect each vendor will propose a unique approach to platform removal in Bass Strait, based on their capabilities and experience,” ExxonMobil Australia chair Dylan Pugh said.

The Gippsland Basin Joint Venture is set to decommission more of its offshore facilities, it has been confirmed.

Esso Australia has commenced a technical tender process for the decommissioning of a number of its facilities in Bass Strait.

The announcement was made public

by Esso’s parent company, ExxonMobil Australia on Friday.

“We will then consider all the options presented, ensuring they meet our own, community and regulator expectations, before moving onto the final commercial tender process next year.”

Esso Australia has already completed around $600 million of early decommissioning works in Bass Strait, including the removal of the Seahorse and Tarwhine facilities; plug and abandonment activities on their Blackback and

DECOMMISSIONING SPONSORED BY

Whiting wells; and progressing welldecommissioning activities on its Kingfish B and Mackerel fields.

“As the operator of some of Australia’s most mature oil and gas fields, Esso Australia is committed to safely and responsibly decommissioning our Bass Strait offshore facilities,” Mr Pugh said.

“As we continue to progress these important early decommissioning works, this technical tender is an important step in preparing for the eventual decommissioning of a number of our facilities that are to cease production in the near future.”

The decommissioning process will begin once contracts are awarded next year, while a completion date is yet to be confirmed.

When asked about a completion date by the Gippsland Times, a spokesperson for ExxonMobil said: “Decommissioning of offshore facilities is a complex activity that can start up to 10 years prior to execution.”

45

46

Stats & Analytics

STATS & ANALYTICS PROVIDED BY

Field Development Update

60 50

www.ogv.energy I July 2022

42.1

10

18.4

14.3

0 2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

Westwood’s 2022-23 outlook assumes a $65/bbl Brent oil price

Subsea Tree Awards #XTs 2022

117

5

2021

66

64 Sanctioned Firm

178

10 Pre-Order Probable

FPS Throughput Additions by Year of Sanction kpoepd 2500

LNG

Gas

Liquids

1500 1000 500 0 2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

Offshore O&G EPC Awards 2022-26 by E&P $billions to be awarded

42.3

20.5

17.8

12.8

11.9

11.1

10.5

10.1

9.7

8.4

Other

125.0

TotalEnergies

Finally, in the US, the Morro Bay and Humboldt Bay wind lease areas located offshore California, have been approved by the California Coastal Commission. Two wind areas located in the Humboldt Bay were granted conditional approval in April 2022 and now three areas in Morro Bay have also received conditional approval. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is planning to hold an auction for these wind areas in 4Q 2022 and these areas have a combined potential capacity of 4.5GW.

44.7

20

Chevron

Dominating headlines was the announcement by four European nations, which have set a combined target of 150GW of operational offshore wind capacity by 2050. The joint offshore wind target has been announced by Belgium, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands. The four countries are also aiming to connect to each other via interconnectors and green hydrogen pipelines to ensure greater security of supply.

66.4

30

Petrobras

Since the last update, first power was achieved at the 480MW Saint-Nazaire wind farm, located offshore France. At least 27 turbines have also been installed at the project to date and these have been installed by Jan De Nul using the Vole au vent Wind Turbine Installation Vessel (WTIV). The Saint-Nazaire wind farm will feature a total of 80GE Haliade 150-6MW turbines, and it is scheduled to come online by the end of 2022.

50.1

40

2000

Offshore Wind Update

Sanctioned

CNOOC

Finally, drillship demand continued to remain steady with 63 units on hire since March and contracted utilisation staying at 81%. Committed drillship demand stood at 72, with marketed utilisation at 92%. Only six drillships are available in the market (excluding cold-stacked). Five new fixtures were recorded in May, totalling three rig years awarded.

The largest fixture recorded was TotalEnergies’ award for the Deep Skyros in Angola, which will begin its contract for the operator at the end of 2022 until mid-2024 for 541 days. Average dayrates decreased slightly to $290,000/day.

Expected

70

Saudi Aramco

Global semisubmersible (semi) marketed contracted utilisation continued to increase to 68% in May with 57 rigs on hire. The committed rig count stayed at 67, resulting in 80% marketed utilisation. Total supply remained at 97, with no newbuilds entering or semisubs exiting the global market. 912 days of new fixtures were recorded with CNOOC awarding COSLProspector a two-year contract. Average dayrates edged up slightly to $298,000/day.

80

QatarEnergy

The global contracted jackup count decreased to 344 in May, while the committed rig count, which includes non-working units that have future contracts in place, maintained at 382 jackups. Contracted utilisation for the marketed fleet fell marginally to 80%, while committed utilisation maintained at 89%. No new jackups were delivered or retired, keeping the fleet constant at 490 rigs. 32 new fixtures were recorded in May at an average dayrate of $89,000/day with a total of 19,771 drilling days added.

$billions

ExxonMobil

Offshore Rig Update

Offshore O&G EPC Awards

Shell

In 2H 2022, Westwood anticipates EPC activities to be driven by contract awards for an additional 145 subsea tree units, over 4,000km of subsea umbilicals, risers & flowlines (SURF), 4,700km of line pipe, 16 floating production systems (FPS) and 40 fixed platform units. Key contract awards to watch in 2H 2022 include Shell's Gato do Mato (Brazil), Equinor's NOA Fulla and Wisting project offshore Norway, QatarEnergy's North Field Compression phase one project, as well as Woodside Energy's Trion (Mexico).

However, FID on Trion could be delayed beyond 2022 due to the recently completed merger of BHP's oil and gas portfolio with Woodside Energy Group, as the operator aims to gain full knowledge of the BHP assets it has inherited.

www.westwoodenergy.com

Woodside

In Angola, TotalEnergies sanctioned its CLOV Phase three development in Block 17.

The field development concept includes five subsea trees tied to the CLOV floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) unit. Furthermore, TechnipFMC has confirmed the contract award to supply the project's subsea production systems (SPS), following the frame agreement it secured with TotalEnergies in April 2022 to supply SPS for brownfield developments in Block 17 offshore Angola.

Westwood Global Energy Group are specialist providers of detailed market intelligence for the offshore energy sector, covering; offshore rigs, production facilities, subsea equipment, subsea services, offshore marine and offshore renewables and power.

Equinor

Offshore O&G related engineering, procurement and contraction (EPC) contract award value year-to-date as of 15 June is ~US$18.4bn representing 27% of total EPC award value anticipated in 2022. A total of 117 subsea tree unit awards have been recorded YTD, which is 30% increase YoY. During the period under review, Shell announced a final investment decision (FID) on its Crux gas development offshore north-western Australia. McDermott is expected to win the EPCI award for the platform jacket, whilst McDermott and a partnership of Technip Energies with Malaysia Marine & Heavy Engineering (MMHE) are the frontrunners for the topside EPCI. The Crux field will be tied to the Prelude FLNG unit via a 165km subsea pipeline, with first gas scheduled for 2027.

Arabian

Total

South Ame

SE

US G Arabian

NW Eur South Amer

Arabian Glo SE

South Amer US G

SE NW Eur

US G Glo

NW Eur

Glo

Global Rig Utilisation Global Rig Utilisation Global Rig Utilisation

90%

90%

90%

90%

90%

Total Effective

Effective Total

Offshore Energy Services Dashboard May / June 2022 Offshore Energy Services Dashboard May / June 2022

90%

90%

85%

85%

85%

85%

80%

80%

80%

80%

80%

75%

75%

75%

75%

75%

75%

70%

70%

70%

70%

70%

70%

85%

85%

85%

80%

80%

75%

Effective Westwood 90% Global Energy 85% Westwood Group Global80% Energy Group75%

90% 85% 80%

Offshore Energy Services Dashboard May /RigLogix June 2022 RigLogix 65%

65%

65%

65%

65%

60%

60%

60%

60%

60%

60%

55%

55%

55%

55%

55%

55%

50%

50%

50% 50% Count Global Rig

50%

50%

45%

45%

40%

40%

Offshore Energy Services Dashboard May / June 2022 Global Rig Count 45% Jackups Offshore RigsJackups available from 40% Offshore Energy Services Dashboard May / June 2022

58

June Rig Counts

58

Global Rig Count

Jackups

Jackups

97

344 344

27

57

490

Jackups

Semisubs

344

88

55% 50%

45% Drillships 40%RigLogix Drillships

45%

RigLogix

18

Semisubs

June 1Drillships June 1

668.3 18

June 1

97 Semisubs 97

668.3

668.3

27

14Semisubs

27 96

June 1

June 1

89.0

89.0 15

57

Drillships June 1 June 1

June 1

120.4

120.4

9689.0 Drillships 96

Drillships 18

15

57

Drillships

15

May 1

687.0 27

97

May 1

May 1

56 55 687.0 Semisubs

687.0

57

May 1

May 1

91.2

91.2 15

96

May 1

May 1

50% 45% 90%

June 1 available from

June 1 668.3

55%

75% 70%

May-20 Jul-20 Sep-20 Nov-20 Jan-21 Mar-21 May-21 Jul-21 Sep-21 Nov-21 Jan-22 Mar-22 May-22

18%

SE Asia

South America

Arabian Gulf

South America

SE Asia

US GOM

Latin Arab Gulf America

80% 75% 70% 65%

WindLogix June 1 June 1 120.4

60% 55% 45%

12%

40%

May 1 May 1 Awarded by 91.2

19%

May 1 May 1Expected by 124.6

124.6

Region

June 1

June 1

June 1

1000

668.3

89.0

120.4

18%

WindLogix

120.4

50%

4%3%

1200

800

Arabian Gulf

SE Asia

South America

US GoM

US GoM

SE Asia

US GoM

Global

Mar-21

Arabian Gulf

May-21 South America

SE Asia

Jan-21

NW Europe

Global

Global

Arabian Gulf

SE Asia

South America May-21 South America

Jan-21 Mar-21 SE Asia Mar-21 May-21

Arabian Gulf

40%

Backlog Month-on-Month 53% 91.2 OEM (Rig Years)

687.0

NW Europe

-0.8

50%45% 90% 45%40% 85%

89.0

4%

0.9

60%55% 55%50%

Effective

May-20 Jul-20 Sep-20 Nov-20 Jan-21 Mar-21 May-21 Jul-21 Sep-21 Nov-21 Jan-22 Mar-22 May-22

40%

1400

70%65% 65%60%

June 1 June89.0 1

60% 50%

May 1 May 1 687.0

Arabian Gulf

Total

-0.5

80%75% 75%70%Global

Latin Arab Gulf America

-0.8 -0.8

NW US SE Latin Arab Gulf Europe GOM Asia America NW US SE Latin Arab Gulf Europe GOM Asia America

90% 90%85% 85%80%

Backlog Month-on-Month (Rig Years) 65% Backlog Month-on-Month (Rig Years)

40%

Awarded

SE Asia

Global Rig Utilisation

May-20 May-20 Jul-20

40%

80%

45%

1600

Effective Effective

45%

85% 40%

45%

Expected

US GoM

Sep-20

Europe

Offshore WTG Awards (excl. Mainland China) #WTGs

US GoM Sep-20 Nov-20 US GoM Nov-20 Jan-21

SE Asia

South America

US GOM

55%

668.3

50%

May 1

80% 75% 124.6 Global NW 75% 70% 70% 65% 65% 60%

Nov-20

90% 90% 85% 85% 80%

Total Total

-0.5 -0.5

May-20 Jul-20 Sep-20 Nov-20 Jan-21 Mar-21 May-21 Jul-21 Sep-21 Nov-21 Jan-22 Mar-22 May-22

NW Europe

120.4

50% 45% 45% 40%

60%

Global 0.6

Global

Global Rig Utilisation

Latin Arab Gulf America

65%

-0.3

Global RigUtilisation Utilisation June 1 Global Rig

60% 55% 55% 50%

40%

2.1

NW US SE Latin Arab Gulf Europe GOM Asia America NW US SE Latin Arab Gulf Europe GOM Asia America

0.9 0.9

May-20 Jul-20 May-20 Sep-20 Jul-20 Nov-20 Sep-20 Jan-21 Nov-20 Mar-21 Jan-21 May-21 Mar-21 Jul-21 May-21 Sep-21 Jul-21 Nov-21 Sep-21 Jan-22 Nov-21 Mar-22 Jan-22 May-22 Mar-22

SE Asia

0.3

May-22

US GOM

Latin Arab Gulf America

NW Europe

Global

60% 55% 55% 50%

70%

1800

Jan-21 Mar-21 May-21 Mar-21 Jul-21 May-21 Sep-21 Jul-21 Nov-21 Sep-21 Jan-22 Nov-21 Mar-22 Jan-22 May-22 Mar-22

70% 65% 65% 60%

75%

2000

Global

40%

May-20 May-20 Jul-20 Jul-20 Sep-20 US GoM Sep-20 Nov-20 Nov-20 Jan-21 Jan-21 Mar-21 SE Asia Mar-21 May-21 May-21 Jul-21 Jul-21 South America Sep-21 Sep-21 Nov-21 Nov-21 Jan-22 Arabian Gulf Jan-22 Mar-22 Mar-22 May-22 May-22

Global 80%

45%

91.2

70%NW Europe

85%

50%

SE Asia

Jul-20 Sep-20 Sep-20 Nov-20 Nov-20 Jan-21

May 1

Global 75%

90%

Mar-21 May-21 Jul-21 Sep-21 Nov-21 Jan-22 Mar-22 May-22

Jul-20

May 1

80% 75% 687.0

55%

Arabian Gulf

90% 90% 85% 85% 80%

89.0

Arabian Gulf Nov-19

-5.1

60.00%

June 1

South America Sep-19

668.3

Jul-19 South America

June 1

SE Asia Sep-20 Nov-20 SE AsiaJan-21

Global Global

NW Europe NW Europe

May-20 Jul-20 Sep-20 Nov-20 Jan-21 Mar-21 May-21 Jul-21 Sep-21 Nov-21 Jan-22 Mar-22 May-22

40%

US GoM US GoM May-20

45%

45%

US GOM

May-20

50%

50%

Jan-20

55%

55%

NW Europe

US GoM

Global

Global

Latin Arab Gulf America

May-20 NW Europe Jul-20 NW Europe Jul-20 Sep-20

SE Asia

NW Europe Jul-20

US GOM

85.00% 80.00% Global NW 40% US SE Latin Arab Gulf 75.00% Europe GOM Asia America 0.5 Global NW US SE Latin Arab Gulf 70.00% Europe GOM Asia America -0.8 -0.6Month-on-Month (Rig Years) -1.4 Backlog -2.0 65.00%

60%

NW Europe

Arabian Gulf

SE Asia

Mar-21

May-21 South America

US GoM

Jan-21

Nov-20

NW Europe Jul-20

May-20

Jan-20

Sep-19

Sep-20

NW Europe

NW Europe

SE Asia

Global

Global Mar-20 Global May-20

65%

-0.8

May-20 Jul-20 Sep-20 Nov-20 Jan-21 Mar-21 May-21 Jul-21 Sep-21 Nov-21 Jan-22 Mar-22 May-22

70%

Latin Arab Gulf America

Mar-20 Global

75%

4.9

Jul-19 Jul-19 Sep-19 Sep-19 Nov-19 Nov-19 Jan-20 Jan-20 Mar-20

80%

0.9 -0.5

Nov-19

Jul-19

85%

0.6

-0.3

Arabian Gulf

SE Asia

South America

Global 90%

US GOM

25%

600 400 200 0 2019

124.6

63

85.00% 4.9 85.00% 80.00% 2.1 Regional Rig Count0.3 Month-on-Month (June vs0.6 May) 80.00% 75.00% 2.1 0.5Global Rig Utilisation 0.3 0.6 -0.3 75.00% 70.00%Effective -0.8 Total 0.5 -0.6 -1.4 90% -0.3 70.00% 65.00%-2.0 -0.8 90% 85% 85% -0.6 -1.4 -2.0 80% 80% 65.00% 60.00% 75% 75% -5.1 70% 70% 60.00% 65% 65% -5.1 60% 60% 4.9

US GoM

NW Europe

NW Europe

Global

2.1

0.3

60.00%

-5.1

May 1

91.2 124.6 Drillships

Regional Rig Count Month-on-Month (June vs May) Regional Rig Count Month-on-Month (June vs May)

-0.8

Mar-20 Global

0.5

May 2021 1 2020

687.0

2022

2023

1

63

Regional Month on Month Rig Counts (May vs June) 344

4.9

J

63

63

-1.4

40%

Backlog (Rig Years) Backlog Month-on-Month Backlog Month-on-Month (Rig Years)Month-on-Month (Rig Years)

Regional Rig Count Month-on-Month (June vs May)

85.00% 80.00% 75.00% 70.00% -0.6 65.00%-2.0

45%

RigLogix

40%

18 Global Month on Month Backlog (May 1 vs June 1) 14 Rig Count

RigLogix

14

50%

50%

Siemens Gamesa

Vestas

General Electric

Goldwind

Ming Yang

Other

May 1

91.2

Arabian Gulf

490

Jackups

14

58 88

Semisubs

490 Jackups 490

88

Westwood Global Energy Group

60%

May-22

Jackups 88 58

40%

65% 65% Westwood RigLogix Global Energy 60% 60% Group 55% 55%

65% RigLogix

May-20 Jul-20 Sep-20 Nov-20 Jan-21 Mar-21 May-20 May-21 Jul-20 Jul-21 Sep-20 Sep-21 Nov-20 Nov-21 Jan-21 Jan-22 Mar-21 Mar-22 May-21 May-22 May-20 Jul-21 Jul-20 Sep-21 Sep-20 Nov-21 Nov-20 Jan-22 May-20 Jan-21 Mar-22 Jul-20 Mar-21 May-22 Sep-20 May-21 Nov-20 Jul-21 Jan-21 Sep-21 Mar-21 Nov-21 May-20 May-21 Jan-22 Jul-20 Jul-21 Mar-22 Sep-20 Sep-21 May-22 Nov-20 Nov-21 Jan-21 Jan-22 Mar-21 Mar-22 May-21 May-22 May-20 Jul-21

Offshore Rigs available from

45% 45% Semisubs 40% 40% Semisubs

45%

75%

47 70%

70%

Jul-20 Sep-21 Sep-20 Nov-21 Nov-20 Jan-22 May-20 Jan-21 Mar-22 Jul-20 Mar-21 May-22 Sep-20 May-21 Nov-20 Jul-21 Jan-21 Sep-21 Mar-21 Nov-21 May-20 May-21 Jan-22 Jul-20 Jul-21 Mar-22 Sep-20 Sep-21 May-22 Nov-20 Nov-21 Jan-21 Jan-22 Mar-21 Mar-22 May-21 May-22 Jul-21 May-20 Sep-21 Jul-20 Nov-21 Sep-20 Jan-22 Nov-20

70% Offshore Rigs available from Offshore Rigs available from65%

STATS & ANALYTICS SPONSORED BY

West Europe North America Asia 1 May East Europe & FSU 124.6

44%

M

1

48

PEOPLE PEOPLE IN IN ENERGY ENERGY SPONSORED BY

Recruitment experts, placing top technical talent around the globe, with workforce solutions tailored to you Energy Resourcing is a global technical recruitment agency. We’re passionate about matching high-quality candidates to the clients that need them. With offices in Australia, Asia, Europe and North America, we provide personalised customer experience through our dedicated support teams, day or night!

energyresourcing.com +44 1224 291176

PEOPLE IN ENERGY

DAVID MCCOLGAN HEAD OF SECTOR – RENEWABLES, RELYON NUTEC

David has recently celebrated one year with RelyOn and is responsible for managing RelyOn’s renewables business in the UK. David has a wealth of experience across projects & operations and is passionate about the transformational impact of renewables and the role RelyOn are playing within sector development.

David and his team are currently implementing a wide range of both digital & practical solutions that improve the means of managing people, processes, and assets more safely & sustainably.

How did you get into the Energy sector and how long have you been working in it?

This is my 17th year within the Energy sector – probably quite a standard response from someone from Aberdeen! However, it wasn’t pre-destined at any stage. A University focus on economics & international relations didn’t align with my first job in project controls working within the supply chain.

I’ve been fortunate enough to work within both projects & operations at operator, tier 1 & wider supply chain levels - across multiple disciplines. I’ve learned a huge amount in my time from inspirational mentors who will always have my thanks.

www.ogv.energy I July 2022

Our team of proactive recruitment professionals are experts in what they do. We specialise in providing robust workforce solutions and placing talent in typically hard to fill roles. So, whether you’re looking for your next job opportunity or need to hire technical talent to drive your next project, Energy Resourcing is here to help.

What are main barriers to international growth for ambitious companies and what advice do you have for them?

What does your job involve on an average day?

My day-to-day is a healthy blend of external and internal interactions. Externally, I am responsible for growing the business and engaging with our customers to deliver solutions to enhance operational safety and efficiency.

Internally involves multiple worksites, collaborating with commercial, operations and projects teams, and driving a one-team methodology. This sounds like a sequence of buzzwords; the reality is that RelyOn has a wonderful team that supports our customers incredibly well.

At present, I am lucky enough to dedicate time to developing and mentoring team members during this exciting period of company & sector growth. However, the reality is that the best laid plans from 5PM the day before have changed by 7AM the following morning!

That’s the nature of the energy sector, and it certainly keeps things interesting.

That depends on the levels and areas of internationalisation an organisation is looking for. It goes without saying; first, you need to understand your own business and all requirements from a legal/regulatory perspective.

However, I’m going to focus on an area that others may view as less significant, but I feel is critical – cultural differences. Taking the UK as an example, I see first-hand the pride people rightly place on their individual regions. Imagine the differences you will see when you take your company Global!

To be successful, you need to be considerate, respectful & understanding when it comes to different geographies & perspectives.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

Most recently, it’s been alongside the Energy Transition Zone. In 2022, RelyOn Nutec has delivered £550K of publicly funded training targeted at helping individuals from my local area get back in to work or diversify from oil & gas to renewables.

What are the main challenges for the training and competency sector, and how can they be addressed?

We are seeing a keen desire to digitalise safety where possible, and organisations are recognising the benefits this can bring to managing compliance & ongoing competence mastery of personnel. The energy sector is striving to work more efficiently and focus headcount on excellence in execution.

Over the last decade, I’ve seen first-hand the benefit of working with subject matter experts to help structure this digital transition. I’ve always believed that digital solutions should focus on being effective within processes, not affecting processes adversely – something that can result in resistance to adoption.

RelyOn Nutec’s approach to this is consultative in nature. Our in-house expertise allows us to be viewed as true safety & digital partners by our customers - that’s an exciting place to be.

Seeing the difference this has made to the lives of so many people has been amazing. It’s also testament to the incredible team at RelyOn that the project has been delivered so successfully.

Working with the Energy Transition Zone has also been a fantastic experience. They are a dedicated group of people keen to make a tangible impact in the region.

What ambitions have you still got to fulfil professionally in your career?

I’m less focused on personal ambition and more concentrated on making a wider, more positive impact. That means driving change within the energy transformation movement and supporting colleagues in their professional development. These things drive me personally and give me the most enjoyment.

PEOPLE IN ENERGY SPONSORED BY

COMMUNITY PARTNER

49 27

Who has been the most influential person in your life professionally?

When embedded within a large-scale operational team for the first time, the then Operations Manager, John Robertson, taught me an incredible amount. His knowledge was unrivalled and was spread across technical, commercial & contractual delivery. I was privileged to be taken under his wing. His patience in helping me see the whole board and how pieces of the puzzle were inextricably linked were lessons that remain with me today.

Over the next 10 years, what changes would you like to see in the energy sector with respect to D&I? Leadership and culture changes are essential in pursuing genuine diversity and inclusion improvements. Positive examples of this can include implementing more flexible working arrangements - including a true understanding of the importance of work-life balance.

However, this cannot just be seen as a top-down piece. As a single example, today, 65% of the UKCS workforce are working within technical disciplines.

16% of graduates in these disciplines are women.

We need to be changing the perception dial when it comes to working with our sector, which is something every one of us is responsible for.

Given the experience you have now, what advice would you give a graduate just starting his career in the Energy sector?

It would be remiss of me to not reflect on what the most influential person in my life professionally taught me! Try to see the whole board. The most content & successful people I see in any organisation strive to educate themselves on as many areas as possible technically, commercially & contractually.

Speak to your colleagues & consider how business areas work together, focusing on the magic triangle of cost, time and quality. If you see ways of improving things, share your thoughts. Trust me – it makes your day-to-day a lot more exciting.

If you were inviting guests to a dinner party, which 3 people would you invite and why?

Julia Louis-Dreyfus – my wife and I love a good box set, and Veep remains a show we can go back to time and time again. Out with the big screen, Julia is renowned as someone with an incredible sense of humour and is very active domestically looking at universal healthcare & environmental issues.

David Attenborough – likely self-explanatory, but what a fascinating & intelligent person he would be to speak to. Our family are animal lovers and are never happier spending time with our cocker spaniel and making sure he has the time of his life. Mr Attenborough brings nature closer to everyone, and that’s an incredible thing.

Barack Obama – I have always had an interest in American politics and the state-by-state complexities that the landscape generates. As the first black president and an ex-teacher of constitutional law, President Obama would be fascinating to talk to.

AFC Women’s Team Partners Back Move to Semi Professional Status Following the news earlier this year of the Club’s historic move to become a semiprofessional team, AFC Women’s team partners have thrown their support behind this significant milestone.

The announcement marked an important phase of a strategic plan for AFC Women, which combined with other areas of new investment, is going to provide an excellent foundation for the team to continue to build and challenge in SWPL1 in future years.

These positive developments would not have been possible without the continued support of AFC Women’s title partner, Boskalis, and our other partners, Tendeka and GAC, all of whom have shared in the vision of the team’s development as the Club looks to not only produce a winning team but also to develop women’s football further.

Stuart Cameron, Managing Director Boskalis Subsea, is thrilled to see semi-professional status come to fruition having been a proud supporter of AFC Women for over four years.

He said: “Having been there from the start of the journey in 2018 as the main sponsor of the AFC Women it’s fantastic to see the Club now able to provide this next step for the growth of woman’s football in the North-East.

“Over the past four years we have watched the players grow as individuals and as a team, supporting them as they have progressed through the leagues and everyone at Boskalis is very proud of the whole team and congratulates Jess Broadrick, Bayley Hutchison, Francesca Ogilvie, Eilidh Shore and Eva Thomson on the signature of their new semi-professional contracts.”

Herman Jorgensen, Managing Director, GAC UK, added: “AFC Women going semi-pro with their league progression sends a powerful message that women mean business in every field. That is also at the heart of GAC UK’s business philosophy, underlined by our charter membership to Maritime UK’s Diversity in Maritime and our pledge to support and encourage a more diverse working culture.

“We look forward to cheering on AFC Women as proud sponsors and we are sure they will do the Aberdeen community proud.”

Tendeka, who became an AFC Women partner in 2021, are excited to see the growth of the Women’s game as CEO of Tendeka, Brad Baker, said: “As a proud sponsor of AFC Women’s team our goal, like AFC, is not only about giving young girls in the North-east and beyond the chance to fulfil their dreams of becoming professional footballers, but to give back to and support our community with a top-notch team and product for all to come root for and be proud of.

“Congratulations to the AFC Woman’s team for this exciting milestone on that journey.”

AFC Women’s partners, Boskalis, GAC and Tendeka, celebrated the breakthrough moment with a “Fair Play For All” event at Cormack Park which saw all three host an inclusive, football led community event, focusing on primary school aged children from areas of social deprivation.

The youngsters, who were transported to Cormack Park courtesy of Club partner Central Coaches, got to enjoy unique coaching sessions and STEM activities, experiencing a day that engaged and educated through fun and teamwork, before having the opportunity to meet some AFC Women’s players.

50

LEGAL & FINANCE

Security Of Supply During The Energy Transition

By Katie Love, Senior Solicitor, Brodies LLP

In the first half of 2022, the world has faced a multitude of geopolitical and socioeconomic developments that have impacted on the energy sector. The time is right to pause and reflect on what the sector has faced and what we need to keep moving forwards.

From post-Covid recovery to the imposition of sanctions prohibitions, to climate change and now the windfall tax, all of these are undeniably linked to the issue of security of supply of energy throughout the energy transition.

So, what does this mean for the energy sector in practice?

Leadership And A Robust Regulatory Framework History has taught us that the energy sector needs clear government leadership and a stable regulatory framework to support continued confidence, investment and dealmaking.

It has been positive to see a wave of updated guidance and strategy being compiled and published over recent months. For example, BEIS has recently published "Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage: An update on the business model for Industrial Carbon Capture" and the British Energy Security Strategy ("the Energy Strategy").

In addition, we have seen sector regulators take a more proactive approach to ensuring license terms and wider ranging obligations are complied with. This should act as a further layer of motivation for those operating in the sector to ensure that they are meeting their obligations in terms of MER and the transition, thus supporting security of supply.

www.ogv.energy I July 2022

What does the Energy Security Strategy say?

The Prime Minister's foreword to the Energy Security Strategy states: "We’re going to produce vastly more hydrogen, which is easy to store, ready to go whenever we need it, and is a low carbon superfuel of the future."

Implementing this vision will reduce the UK's reliance on gas, and reduce consumer exposure to fluctuating international gas prices, as was seen following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

To implement it, the UK will need to accelerate current plans for green hydrogen production.

The Energy Security Strategy takes some tentative steps in this direction by increasing the 2030 target for green hydrogen production from 5GW to 10GW. Moreover, the recent application of windfall tax will shape the approach taken by oil and gas producers to new developments. The support of the government in balancing economic factors and certainty of supply is essential to the oil and gas sector as one of the key elements of smooth energy transition.

Repurposing oil and gas infrastructure

It is expected that the final general ICC contract will be published later this year, to align with meaningful negotiations commencing with shortlisted projects.

The exact timetable for negotiations is yet to be confirmed, but the first projects are expected to be awarded contracts from mid-2023 which will support the energy transition.

Is that it?

Of course not. There are various factors that will support the industry in ensuring security of UK energy supply during the transition period.

Organisational policies addressing these wider climate related developments together with how we manage issues such as resilience against cyberattacks and extreme weather conditions, as well as collaboration, are key to managing the move towards cleaner energy.

Through the application of suitable organisational responses, partnered with clear government leadership and a stable regulatory framework, security of supply can be addressed whilst also supporting the goal of net zero.

In order to meet hydrogen production targets, the oil and gas sector will be relied upon to re-purpose infrastructure.

In April 2022 the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) published a report on the development of the carbon capture industry, its links to hydrogen development and set out various supporting documents relating to Industrial Carbon Capture (ICC).

The report outlines the commercial framework of the business model for the carbon capture industry, including a proposed payment mechanism, an outline for a Carbon Intensity Reporting scheme, and proposals for risk allocation. In addition, the report documents the legal contractual framework of the business model for this emerging part of the energy industry.

Katie Love, Senior Solicitor, Brodies LLP

51

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