The North Sea Chapter of the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) has urged the Scottish and UK Governments and all areas of the oil and gas industry to cooperate to better effect and ensure the sector takes a balanced, long-term approach to the energy transition.
It comes in response to the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) stating “a wave of new opportunities” for the UK’s offshore supply chain will be created by projects following a study it conducted in conjunction with the Global Underwater Hub (GUH).
While backing the report’s general findings, with oil and gas supporting 75% of the UK’s energy requirements, the IADC believes a longer-term outlook is needed in order to secure jobs across the industry, stabilise the UK economy and ensure a safe transition to cleaner energy.
Darren Sutherland, Chair of the IADC North Sea Chapter, said: “The recently announced projects represent a fraction of what is truly needed to meet growing UK energy demands, as well as strengthen regional energy security, but frustratingly only amounts to minimal opportunities for drilling contractors.
“The oil and gas industry is aware of the environmental need to change the way the sector operates, however it is a process that is likely to take decades to achieve and will involve all areas of industry, including drilling contractors. The transition to cleaner energy has to be done safely, sensibly and securely in terms of the national economy, national energy supply and protection of jobs across the UK.”
“We need to find the right balance across the industry to ensure we meet our goals. This is not about individual organisations profiting from the transition, it’s about ensuring we have a viable sector and burgeoning economy which will benefit the whole country. Different organisations have different priorities, but the priority of all should be to look at the lifecycle of the transition and the wider impact it will have.
The UK Net Zero Strategy states that energy security can be attained through a reduction in the requirement for imported fossil fuels. We believe the success of the transition can only be delivered by maintaining that security, which includes an active drilling and production programme on the UK Continental Shelf.”
Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/drilling-and-production/06022023/iadc-urges-oil-and-gas-industries-to-cooperate-to-ensure-a-balanced-approach-towards-the-energy-transition/