Energy Voice – Out Loud

From whale songs to tv remotes, Taqa's Keith Elphinstone and Energy Voice's Ryan Duff discuss all in this conversation that largely focusses on down well technology.  As the world of tech speeds up, regulators must ensure that basins around the world are equipped with the best kit available and as Taqa aims to change how wireless technology in the oil and gas industry works, questions need to be asked. Thankfully, we answer them.    Closer to home, the UK market now knows that tieback are the option for any operators looking to continue activity. With this in mind, Keith discusses pairing new "intelligent wells" with aging infrastructure above the waves.

In this week’s edition of Energy Voice Out Loud, your genial host Ryan Duff, features lead for Energy Voice, introduces some of the main topics of interest in the UK energy industry. First, news editor Erikka Askeland and renewables reporter Michal Behr tackle rising discontent over the state of the UK’s network charging system – should we cann it TNUoS or Tenuous? And why is it that energy producers in Scotland have had to pay £2.9bn more than their counterparts in England and Wales? North correspondent Floyd March then gives the latest update in the Lindsey refinery in Immingham. Can a new, late stage court action prevent the whole facility from being mothballed by Phillips 66? Finally, Ryan and Erikka talk about calls made at the OEUK HSE conference for a new regulator – another one? As oil and gas competes with offshore wind, CCS, not to mention fishers and other users of the UK’s rich waters, someone should take charge, but who?

Join Energy Voice news editor Erikka Askeland and a stellar panel of speakers for this special edition of Energy Voice Out Loud, in partnership with Hydrasun, a D2Zero company. Recorded in front of a live audience at Energy Voice HQ in Aberdeen, this podcast gets hot takes on the UK energy supply chain from some of its key leaders.  Hear Neil Thompson, CEO, Hydrasun, David Marshall, regional director for Scotland and the North of England at National Gas, Jeff Corray, head of energy private equity at Piper Sandler and chief financial officer at D2Zero and Roddy James, chief commercial officer of the Port of Aberdeen share their insights and find out - will the supply chain survive and thrive or is it all doom and gloom?

This week, BP set a trend among supermajors as it hit the breaks on buybacks as International Energy Week kicked off in London and the UK government announced the winners of the non-offshore wind winners of Allocation Round 7.  To run us through the headlines, Energy Voice's Ryan Duff, Mat Perry, and Erikka Askeland are joined by E-FWD editor Ed Reed.  First off, Erikka discusses BP's world leading reserves and its move to step away from share buyback schemes while its fellow UK supermajor doubled down. As BP announced its full year results, University of Strathclyde’s Centre for Energy Policy released a report on EnQuest's Sullom Voe Terminal and the impact an extension to BP's Clair field would have on jobs and the wider Shetland economy. Next up, Ed regales us with tales from International Energy Week, first touching on Shell CEO Wael Sawan's comments on the state of European energy policy as the continent finds itself the piggy in the middle between America's liquids production and China's electricity generation. Suffice to say, there is plenty to talk about from the event in London this week.  Finally, Mat recounts the winners of the non-offshore wind winners from Allocation Round 7, also known as AR7a. His points to success, particularly in solar, as our journalists mull over the opportunities of tidal energy.   

This week on Energy Voice Out Loud, Michal and Mat discuss the latest Q4 results from Shell, Ithaca Energy and Equinor. Although it's the era of 'drill, baby, drill', it doesn't appear to be entirely plain sailing for the oil and gas majors, and some shareholders are showing their discontent.  Then we head up to Aberdeen, where Erikka and Ryan have been attending Subsea Expo 2026. First off, they caught up with Global Underwater Hub boss Niel Gordon and the NSTA's Bill Cattanach to find out what was happening on the show floor.  Finally, Ryan and Erikka sat down on the final day of the conference to discuss their key takeaways and the top headlines from Subsea Expo 2026.   

This week’s episode features Energy Voice’s Ryan Duff and Ed Reed in our opening discussion, then reporters Mathew Perry and Michael Behr with their thoughts from Offshore Wind Conference 2026 in Glasgow.   Up first, Ed, Ryan and Floyd team up to tackle the trials and tribulations in the offshore and floating wind sector, as the £1.5 billion Ming Yang project gets paused and XCLL pivots from manufacturing to cable laying.    Next, Michael Behr sat down with former Corio Generation CEO Jonathan Cole as he returns to the offshore wind sector in his new role as ambassador for the Global Wind Energy Council. We discuss the evolving offshore wind landscape, from the UK’s political consensus, transmission charging and, his thoughts on Chinese involvement in the UK.   And to round things off, Mat and Mike chat through the best points from Offshore Wind Conference 2026 – transmission charging and AR8 are the big takeaways, especially as any potential reforms look unlikely to come into play for this year’s auction.

This week, there was yet more news of troubled Scottish wind projects as West of Orkney "paused" as it lambasted transmission charges, as we play our full conversation with Kemi Badenoch and True North talk us through its latest polling.    This week’s episode features Energy Voice’s Ryan Duff and Michael Behr, and Mat Perry in our opening discussion and news editor Erikka Askeland join in at the end to talk with Energy Voice Out Loud familiar voice Allister Thomas.    Up first, Michael talks us through why the front-runner ScotWind project, West of Orkney, hit the bricks this week as it bemoaned transmission charges after missing out on a contract for difference in Allocation Round 7. What does this mean for the future of offshore wind in Scotland? Our trio of journalists discuss.    Next, Ryan caught up with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and shadow minister for energy security and net zero, Andrew Bowie, about energy bills and what the opposition would have done differently with AR7.    Finally, Erikka spoke with True North's Allister Thomas about a recent poll of unprecedented scale asking people across the North of Scotland what they really think of the march of energy infrastructure and the answers might surprise you.

We discuss the winners of Allocation Round 7, as well as Viaro's southern North Sea snub and Petrofac's UK business buy out.    This week’s episode features Energy Voice’s Ryan Duff, Floyd March, Mat Perry and Erikka Askeland as they give their two cents on the week’s headlines.   First up, Mat gets us up to speed on the winners of AR7 as he argues that the government deserves a pat on the back. Although, Erikka fights for ScotWind project support as not one of the 12 successful bids came from a project that received a a licence under Holyrood's 2022 leasing round.   Next, Floyd talks us through the situation at Viaro as Francesco Mazzagatti's firm was told Shell and Exxon had backed out of a deal announced 18 months ago to sell southern North Sea gas assets. The North Sea Transition Authority has been keeping a close eye on Viaro in recent months having demanded additional information from the operator for this deal and its attempted takeover of rival Deltic.    Finally, Ryan gets us caught up on Petrofac's North Sea business after it announced it would be selling its Asset Solutions division to a US firm on Christmas Eve. The services firm that slipped into administration last year is now set to hold a meeting with its creditors to approve the takeover, which is set to save 3,000 jobs.

The first weekly episode of Energy Voice Out Loud in 2026 starts with the big news of the week. E-FWD editor Ed Reed and Energy Voice news editor Erikka Askeland dissect the outlook for industry as President Trump seizes control of Venezuela’s oil industry Renewables reporter Micheal Behr takes a view on where the wind blows as the UK delays a decision on RWE and Masdar’s plan for a 3GW wind farm on Dogger Bank. What does it mean for sector finances ahead of the government’s imminent allocation round 7? Finally, North correspondent Floyd March discusses the announcement that Phillips 66 has taken control of the Lindsay refinery on the Humber. The deal looks good for the US refinery giant but not so great for 250 workers at the site, formerly owned by disgraced firm Prax, who only have jobs until the end of March.

Yippee Ki Yay, energy professionals! It’s that time of year again when we slow down and take in the finer things of life - but first the Energy Voice Out Loud quiz! We have questions on companies and policy, nukes and nimbys, BP execs and BP ex-execs, all wrapped up in a festive onslaught of bells and surprises. How will the crack team respond to a barrage of energy news questions? Who will break first? Who will come first - and who will come last? How off the rails will the quizmaster go? There’s only one way to find out, listen now to the last EVOL of the year. Have an excellent time off, we’ll be back in 2026.

In this episode of Energy Voice Out Loud, Aberdeen features lead Ryan Duff gets the rare chance to say "I told you so" as he discusses with news editor Erikka Askeland the details of TotalEnergies' merger with Neo Next - in what has been a rash of UK oil and gas firms walking away from their decades-long status as a North Sea operator in 2025. Micheal Behr was reports from the subserface and wells conference in Aberdeen - the first Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) event since the autumn budget of doom in November. Finally northern correspondent Floyd March highlights some of the good news happening for fans of carbon capture and storage in the North West of England.

This week’s Energy Voice Out Loud (EVOL) sees news editor Erikka Askeland, renewables reporter Michael Behr, and North West correspondent Floyd March explore what’s been going on in the North Sea. Adura day, the official launch of Equinor and Shell’s North Sea tieup, quickly turned in Harbour Job Cuts day as the oil and gas producer announced it would shed 100 roles. Harbour put the blame squarely on Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ shoulders for deciding to keep the windfall tax in place up to 2030. Speaking of the energy profits levy, longtime friend of the show, Panmure Liberum analyst Ashley Kelty shares his thoughts on the winners and losers of the budget. Of course, being a winner means not getting kicked. And then Floyd catches us up on the Lindsey oil refinery saga and the new player that’s come in making a bid for the shuttered site.

Yet another busy news week in UK energy! We discuss the budget and all of its windfall tax implications, the government's North Sea plan, and what the decommissioning industry needs. This week's episode features Energy Voice's Ryand Duff and Erikka Askeland, as well as Aberdeen University's John Underhill, and Three60 CEO Walter Thain. Up First, Ryan and Erikka discuss the surprises, or lack thereof, from Rachel Reeves' Autumn budget. With no changes to oil and gas tax and a reiteration of previously announced Grangemouth funding, the areas that are shedding jobs saw little support. However, the green energy sector saw something of a boost, but was it enough? Next, Ryan caught up with John Underhill about the future of UK licencing and how he came to his suggestion that led to the government's transitional energy certificates measure. But who paid for his study, and will this permitting change extend the life of North Sea producers? Finally, Walter Tahin tells all about the decommissioning market following an industry workshop at OEUK's Decommissioning Conference in St Andrews. Collaboration is a major theme, building upon Three60 and AF Decom's latest contract with BP.

We discuss GB Energy's offshore wind investment and its Aberdeen jobs downgrade, as well as Ithaca's latest North Sea farm in as it forms yet another partnership with Shell. This week’s episode features Energy Voice’s Ryan Duff, Michael Behr, and Erikka Askeland as they give their two cents on the week’s headlines. Before the trio dive into the main topics of this week's show, they draw attention to the sad news of a death in the North Sea. It was confirmed this week that 32-year-old Aberdeen-based father Lee Hulse died after falling from a crane on the Valaris 121 rig on Shell's Shearwater field. There has been a GoFundMe set up to support Lee's family, which you can find here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/lee-hulse?lang=en_GB&fbclid=IwY2xjawOG7ZNleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETA1UHBLbVRaSWNGR0l4WVhPc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MghjYWxsc2l0ZQEyAAEerr0jbc2399ClT0_FUVuPIixXEB4NZ3af1EZPMtK-4KBBkrxE6YouHgNDNkY_aem__AzvLwuuduNxZUOT79I1Pg First up on this week's show, Michael discusses GB Energy's £150 investment in the 100 MW Pentland Floating Offshore Wind Farm. This marked the state-backed firm's first investment in offshore energy, however, has it been ambitious enough in its choice of project? This announcement came as CEO Dan McGrail announced his firm will create 300 jobs in Aberdeen by 2030, a considerable downgrade from the 1,000 previously promised. Next, Michael heads down to Teesside to the CATS Terminal, where he speaks with Kellas Midstream asset support engineer Harry Ford about his work at the site and the opportunities in the energy industry across Teesside. Finally, what's the story in Tobermory, Erikka lets us know! Ithaca has farmed into Shell's West of Shetland gas field a couple of years after the London supermajor backed out of Ithaca's Cambo project. This comes as Shell looks to form a UK-based independent joint venture with Equinor, which may cause a reassessment on Cambo.

In this last episode of the series, recorded on location at ADIPEC, Barclays’ Lydia Rainforth and Zero’s Paddy Lowe join Ed Reed to discuss just how plans can move forward, given differing views on the energy sector. We dig into where low carbon spending can be done and where can it make the most difference. Shareholders in public companies have not rewarded such plans, is there another way?

Bureau Veritas has been managing quality, safety, health and sustainability risks throughout industrial revolutions since it was founded in 1828. Tune into this special episode of Energy Voice Out Loud and hear how BV’s Market Lead Energy Transition, Darren Taylor, and Head of Nuclear Andy Ward, are building trust in the next industrial revolution and the new technologies what will deliver the transition to clean energy. Darren sets out how offshore wind, solar, and emerging hydrogen networks are reshaping how we generate and store energy, while Andy addresses the coming “golden age” of nuclear which will provide the low carbon base load we need while looking to harness the energy of the stars.

This Week Energy Voice Out Loud was live on the show floor at the Floating Offshore Wind conference in Aberdeen, where they caught up with industry bigwigs, such as the firms behind the upcoming Green Volt project. Energy Voice's Ryan Duff and Michael Behr were in attendance alongside E-FWD's Sepi Golzari-Munro. Up first, Ryan spoke to Barry MacLeod, CEO of Flotation Energy, and Stephen Bull, CEO of Vårgrønn. The trio discussed the future of Green Volt, the world’s largest commercial floating wind farm, following news that CNOOC had bowed out of a deal to offtake power to decarbonise operations on its Buzzard platform. Having secured a contract for difference (CfD) in last year's Allocation Round (AR), Green Volt has no choice but to forge ahead while looking for another oil and gas partner to offtake the power it produces that will not go to shore. Next, Sepi caught up with Claire Mack, CEO of the organisation behind the Floating Offshore Wind conference, Scottish Renewables on the final day of the event. She also met with Rob Gilbert of GB Energy as it looks to establish itself in the north-east of Scotland. Finally, Tim Pick, the former UK offshore wind champion and current chair of the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership discusses public and private funding for the supply chain with Ryan. The pair also touch on the Celtic Sea's offshore wind market as we inch closer to turbines being deployed off the west coast of the UK.

We discuss industry demands ahead of this month's budget, Lindsey refinery job cuts, and artificial intelligence (AI) at ADIPEC. This week’s episode features Energy Voice’s Ryan Duff and Floyd March, while E-FWD editor Ed Reed broadcasts from the ADIPEC show floor in Abu Dhabi. First up, OEUK and Scottish Renewables teamed up this week to deliver a letter to chancellor Rachel Reeves and energy secretary Ed Miliband ahead of the budget on 26 November. The pair of trade bodies called for tax reform for oil firms, and certainty for Scottish offshore wind projects in Allocation Round 7 (AR7). Labour came into power under a strong anti-oil and gas line, however, it appears to be backtracking somewhat, leaving a little room for optimism for North Sea players. As for wind, there is a lot that needs to be done to get the country on track for its targets. AR7 will need to deliver at least 8.4 GW, but with market uncertainty, there is no guarantee that every firm that secures a strike price will bring its project to fruition. Next up, we turn our attention to ADIPEC as Ed caught up with Toby Rice, CEO of American gas firm EQT. Their conversation quickly turns to AI, a popular topic among energy firms at the moment. Toby claims that his firm is enabling US firms to go "full throttle" on AI, thanks to the gas it produces. Toby said that the question around where the power needed to support data centres would come from was what was being asked "24 months ago" as he argued renewables are "not going to cut it". Finally, Floyd gets us up to speed on all things Lindsey after over 100 workers lost their jobs last week. There are still questions to be asked around who will take over the site as a mysterious consortium bids for a public-private partnership with the government, and Phillips 66 has been rumoured to swoop in and change operations at the site. Local politicians and unions have been up in arms over recent redundancies after previous owner, Prax, fell into administration. This story is set to develop over the coming weeks.

We discuss Petrofac's fall into administration and how the services giant fell from grace, the first minister's warning about Reform UK, and Shell and Equinor's third quarter results. This week’s episode features Energy Voice’s Ryan Duff, Michael Behr, and Mat Perry as they give their two cents on the week's headlines. Up first, the trio discuss Petrofac's administration and delisting from the London Stock Exchange. The beleaguered Tier 1 firm ended last week on an uncertain note as TenneT ditched a deal on a European offshore wind farm, which ultimately brought to an end Petrofac's restructuring plans. However, this was just the straw that broke the camel's back; the firm has never recovered from scandal and bribery, or the costly contracts it signed around the COVID-19 pandemic. Next up, Michael tells us about John Swinney's punchy comments concerning Reform UK's renewable energy stance. The first minister claims that Scotland's renewables industry would be led to ruin under a Reform government, as he and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar laid out their stalls for next year's Holyrood election. Finally, Mat rounds up Shell's third-quarter results as the London supermajor beats analyst expectations. This comes as the firm looks to offload its UK assets to a new independent joint venture with Equinor. Speaking of the Norwegian state-backed firm, its books didn't paint as positive a picture as Shell's. It was revealed that the assets held for sale to form the new North Sea player, Adura, had cost the firm $650 million. However, both European majors have held true to Adura opening its doors by the end of 2025.

We discuss the Lindsey oil refinery's mysterious bidder and ScottishPower's shift from offshore wind to grid projects amid a turbulent fiscal landscape. Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay also gives us his two cents on the state of energy businesses in the country.   This week’s episode features Energy Voice’s Ryan Duff and Michael Behr, with E-FWD editor Ed Reed making a triumphant return.    Up first, the trio discuss Marc Amram, the man proposing a public-private partnership to take over the Lindsey refinery after its previous owner, Prax, fell into administration. He has tabled an offer to the government that appears to be very one-sided, and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has since refused. There is a lot to unpack in this one, but the main question is, 'Who is Marc Amram?'   Next up Russell, Findlay speaks with Ryan about some of the issues energy businesses in Aberdeen are facing. This prerecorded interview was held at Hunting's Badentoy facility soon after the firm announced it would be moving manufacturing operations from there to its new Dubai site.    Finally, Ed talks us through his latest reporting on ScottishPower as the Spanish-backed firm appears to be shifting its focus from offshore wind to grid connection contracts. Interestingly, ScottishPower parent company, Iberdrola, does not appear to be following the same strategy in its native Spain. Is this due to market pressures in the UK or has ScottishPower seen something others haven't