Energy Voice – Out Loud

Road to ADIPEC 4: Kirsten Roden Vice President of Product Management Transformation of Industry EAD.

AI dominated discussions at Adipec this year, with Adnoc head Sultan Al-Jaber singling it out as one of three megatrends.
Siemens Energy VP Kirsten Roden sat down at the show with editor Ed Reed to set him right on AI's possibilities and potential for new thinking around demand planning.

EVOL: CCS cash, North Sea nonsense and Bernard is back

Christmas may be looming but the news just keeps on coming! In this festive video special edition of Energy Voice Out Loud Ryan discusses CCS permits, Erikka tackles North Sea shenanigans and Mat chats about Bernard Looney's return to energy. 
The week saw the NSTA grant a UK first CCS permit that will allow the infastructure to be installed at the East Coast Cluster. This came about as the Northern Endurance Partnership made a final investment decision on the Tack 1 winning carbon storage development. 
Erikka had one hell of a morning rounding up Serica's acquisition of Parkmead assets, “serious misconduct”'s farm down of its Earlham and Orwell developments and Connaught selling out of UK gas field to Reabold. One thing's for certain, the UK North Sea is going to be a much different beast in 2025. 
Finally, Mat has been looking into former BP CEO Bernard Looney's return to energy as he was appointed to the board of board of ADNOC subsidiary XRG. Looney left BP amid scandal involving personal relationships with with colleagues and misleading the company’s board but is set to make a return following his appointment to a tech firm earlier in the year. 

EVOL: Shell and Equinor partner, Scottish budget and connecting Morocco and the UK

Ryan, Mark and Michael throw the script out the window as we discuss the partnership between Equinor and Shell. The new tie-up could create a North Sea production powerhouse, but are the oil majors looking to protect themselves from the Rosebank and Jackdaw lawsuits, and what will the competition watchdog have to say?
We also discuss the new Scottish budget. It left the ScotWind pot untouched and promised a raft of benefits for offshore wind and the energy transition, though it remains to be seen if it can deliver Scotland’s green ambitions.
And finally, Mark’s been chatting with Xlinks, the company looking to connect the UK and Morocco with a massive 4,000km subsea cable – just the first step in its vision for a “global grid”.

Gigawaters S2 #2 - Working in harmony with local communities & nature

Welcome to Season 3 of Gigawaters, the Energy Voice podcast in collaboration with Ørsted, hosted by renewables reporter Michael Behr.
This four-part series dives into innovation, decarbonization, biodiversity, and community impacts. In Episode 2, Adele Tharani, Ørsted's Global Commercial Sustainability Manager, joins renowned environmental economist and GIST Impact founder-CEO, Pavan Sukhdev.
Together, they explore how the energy sector can harmonize with nature and local communities, maximize positive impacts, and measure the value of sustainable practices.

EVOL X Verlume

Listen in to hear the co-founder of one of the UK’s most promising clean technology describe his firm’s incredible journey. From a promising subsea start up in 2013 to now where his firm is supplying one of the most innovative power management solutions to some of the most important renewable energy projects around the globe, Verlume CEO Richard Knox explains all to Energy Voice news editor Erikka Askeland.

EVOL: North Sea fears ease, hydrogen drams and ship shape Scottish ports

Hear Ryan reveal how maybe the UK budget wasn't so bad for some North Sea firms after all, Erikka says slainte to the first hydrogen-powered whisky, and Michael goes on tour of ports in Scotland getting ship shape for offshore wind.
 

EVOL: Courtroom contention, Selene sale and ADIPEC adventures

Ed is back from ADIPEC and is set to regale Ryan and Mat with tales from Abu Dhabi while Shell, Equinor and Ithaca appear in court and Delitc looks to farm down Selene. 
First up this week Mat discusses the comings and goings of Europe's courtrooms as oil firm lawyers have been discussing scope three emissions. Since the outcome of the Supreme Court's Finch Case downstream environmental impact is under the microscope and this has led to the approval of Shell's Jackdaw and Equinor and Ithaca's Rosebank coming into question.
Next up, Ryan tells us about his chat with Deltic Energy's new CEO Andrew Nunn as he discusses potentially reducing the firm's 25% stake in the Selene project in order to reach final investment decision (FID). This comes months after Delic was unable to find a partner for its massive Pensacola project in the North Sea but Nunn says this is a different kettle of fish.
Finally, Ed is back from his jolly in the Middle East. He was only recording podcasts, interviewing delegates, attending panels, hosting discussions and meeting the world's energy industry... there can't be that much he has to say.

EVOL X ASCO: Decom down under

ASCO's head of environmental services and decommissioning, Kelly Smith and UK business development manager for environmental and decommissioning, Lee Vettese, joined Energy Voice's Ryan Duff to discuss the opportunities UK decommissioning experts can seize in Australia.
 
Although cultures may be different on either side of the globe, the jobs on offer in Australia's oil and gas sector is all too familiar to those working for ASCO in Peterhead. Decommissioning is a key focus for the UK as the country's oil and gas basin dwindles and with work being offered up internationally, the north-east firm looks to upskill workers in different regions.
 
After work carried out by Smith, Australia was seen as the "next best step for the organisation" while Vettese described the country as the "biggest market" outside of the North Sea. 
 
To hear more about what ASCO plans to do in Australia and how it will export expertise around the world, listen to the conversation on Energy Voice Out Loud.
 

EVOL: Decom documents, Turbine teardown, and GB jobs

This week Ryan and Mat have been swanning about St Andrews as OEUK hosted its Offshore Decommissioning Conference. They have been hearing all of the 'C words' while Erikka has been keeping tabs on court cases and jobs promises.
First off, Mat runs through Offshore Energies UK's decommissioning report which found firms spent more by doing less in 2023. While Mat kept his finger on the pulse, Ryan was "chatting up a bird" in the form of Khaleesi, the gyrfalcon.
OEUK's decommissioning manager Ricky Thomson caught up with the Energy Voice team to discuss what the trade body aims to do in wind. The group is looking to bring the expertise of the UK's supply chain into the offshore wind sector.
Finally, Erikka has been keeping herself warm in Aberdeen this week by typing as quickly as her finger can manage. She has been keeping tabs on GB Energy's commitment to 2-300 jobs in Aberdeen, a significant decrease from the 1,000 that had previously been promised. Additionally, Viaro Energy's CEO has been enrolled in a court case as his previous employer claimed he forged documents to steal millions.

Gigawaters S2 #1 - The Importance of Innovation

Welcome to the third season of Gigawaters, an Energy Voice podcast in partnership with Orsted and hosted by renewables reporter, Micheal Behr. 
This four part series will explore everything from innovation and decarbonisation to the impact on biodiversity and local communities.
First up in the series, Alex Louden, Ørsted senior ventures and open innovation specialist, and Mary Harvey, from the Carbon Trust’s Offshore Wind team explore the importance of innovation