Norway awards £900k for subsea tech research

Norway has awarded a NOK10 million (£900,000) grant for subsea technology research. The Research Council of Norway has provided technology firm ABB funding to develop equipment for use on the Norwegian continental shelf and the Barents Sea. It is the third grant of its kind awarded to ABB – previous funding rounds, both in 2016, totalled NOK20 million (£1.8m). ABB is currently engaged […]

New ‘sea snake’ robot slithers into offshore industry

A new underwater robot travels like a sea snake to help inspect and repair offshore pipelines and oil rigs. The innovative remote-controlled device has been designed and developed by Norwegian firm Eelume, which claims it could “reshape” the offshore energy industry. It takes the form of a dexterous robotic arm which can carry out a wide range of intervention […]

North Sea subsea sales down but investment continues

Sales in the subsea industry in the UK North Sea have dropped due to oil prices but it is maintaining investment in technology. The sector also expects to increase exports, according to Subsea UK. It stated 90% of 60 firms surveyed have seen sales decrease in the last 18 months, out of which 28% saw […]

French energy firm bags North Sea contract

A French energy company has been awarded a two-year contract to assist Chevron’s developments in the North Sea. Technip will provide engineering, procurement, installation and construction services in the Alder field, located around 200 kilometres North-East of Aberdeen, Scotland, as Chevron develops a subsea tieback to the Britannia Bridge Link platform. The contract includes designing […]

Shell to boost oil production in Brazil

Royal Dutch Shell has unveiled plans to boost production with two new deepwater projects in Brazil. Working alongside its partners, it aims to go ahead with the projects at Parque das Conchas and the Bijupira/Salema fields. For the first field, they have decided to move forward with Phase 3 of the project which will include […]

Ofgem picks 23 projects for innovation competition finals

Ofgem has awarded 23 projects a place in the final stages of its three innovation competitions for regulated network companies. The network innovation competitions (NICs) is in its first year and makes up to £27 million per year available for onshore and offshore power transmission companies, with a separate £18 million for gas distribution. The […]

Plans to move forward with UK-Norway interconnector

The UK has signed a “co-operation agreement” with Norway to continue work on the electricity interconnector to link the two nations following three years of joint feasibility and development work. The agreement confirms a 50:50 partnership between National Grid and Statnett, the Norwegian transmission system operator. Between £1.5–2 billion is expected to be invested in […]

Training programme for divers to enter oil and gas sector

A new training initiative offering newly qualified divers to step straight into a job within the oil and gas industry has been launched. The three-year Stork Dive Trainee Programme is the “first” of its kind in Scotland and aims to offer those undertaking diver training an opportunity to gain experience and knowledge of the industry. […]

SSE pulls out of UK-Norway interconnector

Energy firm SSE has pulled out of a project to build a subsea electricity link between Scotland and Norway. The company said it would no longer have any “financial involvement” in the 1,400MW NorthConnect project. SSE said it wishes to focus more on its “core markets”, i.e. Great Britain and Ireland, where it plans to […]

Major networks upgrade to add £12 on energy bills

Britain’s gas and electricity networks are set to undergo a major upgrade under new plans announced by Ofgem today – adding an extra £12 on household bills. The announcement will enable £24.2 billion for new and upgraded infrastructure up to 2021, more than the £22.7 billion proposed by the regulator earlier this year. The figure […]