Energy Voice – Out Loud

This week, hydrocarbons remained the top of the global news agenda as the UK waited for its last supply of jet fuel from the Middle East. At the same time, the North Sea saw yet another operator vacate the basin by divesting its assets into a joint venture.  Host and Aberdeen features lead, Ryan Duff, north west correspondent Floyd March, and E-FWD editor Ed Reed discuss.  Up first, Ed rounds out a week of appearing on national radio shows to get us caught up the war in the Middle East and how nations across the globe are reacting to fuel shortages in the wake of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Next, news editor Erikka Askeland visited the St Fergus gas terminal to chat to North Sea Midstream Partners chief executive Angela Fletcher about the importance of gas in the UK's energy during a time of geopolitical uncertainty. And, of course, the pair had to discuss the future of the Acorn carbon capture storage project, which partner Storegga still hasn't found a buyer for. Finally, Ryan discusses mergers and acquisitions after Viaro called time on its takeover of Deltic and TotalEnergies completed its buy-in to Neo Next+. This happened while Floyd March observed the unfortunate truth about M&A, it often results in job losses. He explained how another swathe of roles had been cut at the Lindsey refinery this week as Philips 66 edges closer to completing its purchase of the facility. 

This week’s edition of Energy Voice Out Loud reflects on a busy news week for the UK energy sector. Host and Energy Voice news editor Erikka Askeland and renewables reporter Michael Behr discuss the announcement that Danish wind turbine maker Vestas is in, and Chinese manufacturer Ming Yang is out. Some are relieved that the UK has backed the European wind sector but not all are pleased, including Scotland where Ming Yang was looking to build a factory creating 1,500 jobs. Aberdeen features lead Ryan Duff is at the Offshore Energies UK much anticipated business outlook breakfast event to speak to Ben Ward, market intelligence manager. OEUK wants the UK to cut LNG imports and use North Sea gas instead, but will the NSTA help? As the FSPO Petrojarl Rosebank makes its passage to the UK, Energy Voice reporter Mathew Perry explains why Greenpeace wants to paint its protest on the vessel’s hull and how the debate about whether the UK should or shouldn’t go ahead with the UK’s largest undeveloped oil field is now at the heart of Westminster.

As the US-Isreal war with Iran rages on, Donald Trump has threatened to "massively blow up" the South Pars gas filed on a scale "of strength and power that Iran has never seen or witnessed before". This came as Ithaca provided an update on its West of Shetland assets.   In this week's episode of Energy Voice Out Loud, Ryan Duff is joined by Michael Behr, Floyd March and Erikka Askeland as they discuss this week's biggest headlines.    Up first, Michael gets us caught up on the situation in the Middle East as Erikka draws attention to Trump's latest social media tirade. As the situation continues to escalate, the US president appears to be threatening yet more violence.   Next, Erikka discusses the West of Shetland after Ithaca announced it will make a financial decision on its Cambo field within the next 12 months. This sparked a wider conversation about UK hydrocarbon production and the importance of the West of Shetland region as well as the future of the Northern Gas Hub.    Finally, Floyd tells us about the Rehip event in Teesside. He hosted a panel at the conference and came on the show to tell all about hydrogen's optimistic outlook for pipeline, but also the ever-looming question of end use cases for the fuel source. Ultimately, positivity was in the air in Teesside, although it's fair to say that some questions remain unanswered when it comes to the deployment of hydrogen.

The war in the Middle East is approaching the two week mark as oil prices have hovered around $100 per barrel. This came as Sidara finally competed its acquisition of Wood.    In this week's episode of Energy Voice Out Loud, Ryan Duff is joined by reporters Michael Behr and Mat Perry while news editor Erikka Askeland catches up with what was happening at the Scottish National Investment Bank event in Aberdeen.   First, Mat discusses the Rosebank FPSO's journey to the UK as it narrowly avoided conflict in the Middle East. This prompted a wider discussion on the impacts the war is having on the global energy market.    Next, Erikka speaks to Tim Cullen from Great British Energy and Ana Stewart, Scotland's chief entrepreneur, about how to secure the UK's energy supply chain in a busy lunch time break at the Scottish National Investment Bank conference in Aberdeen    And last, but by no means least, Ryan and Michael discuss Wood becoming 'a Sidara company' and what may change with the Aberdeen services giant now that it is under new ownership. Is there a Penspen merger on the horizon? It is certainly possible. 

It's been a busy ol' week in the world of energy this week, not least due to the news from last weekend that the US and Isreal had bombed Iran.     In the Episode of Energy Voice Out Loud, Ryan Duff is joined in the studio by Micheal Behr and E-FWD editor Ed Reed.    First up, Ed discusses the headlines that have been dominating front pages all of this week and the impact attacks across the Middle East are having on the UAE, energy workers in the region, and oil prices as the trio get into a discussion about how global turbulence will impact the UK North Sea.   Next, news editor Erikka Askeland headed down to London for the Future of the North Sea event the day after chancellor Rachel Reeves' spring statement.    There she spoke with OEUK CEO Dave Whitehouse who was guarded ahead of an industry summit with the Chancellor. She also spoke to  Myles Allen, head of atmospheric, oceanic and planetary physics at the University of Oxford who explained his "simple" solution to global climate change while delivering a UK carbon capture and storage industry beyond Acorn's wildest dreams.   Finally, Ryan discusses Aberdeen services giant Wood and its string of ups and downs this week after it announced a court date to sign off on its takeover at the hands of Sidara and the Financial Conduct Authority slapped it with a £13 million fine, although it has managed to make the fee smaller since.    Could the end of the Wood acquisition saga be coming to an end? Some industry commentators certainly think so. 

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?