Energeia ISSUE 1[1]

7/28/2019 Energeia ISSUE 1[1]

1/20

North Seainvestentotentia

Eoiting heavy

oi reserves

Beneath the

waves in 3D

Aberdeen:

A conityo science

AT WORK FOR THE ENERGY SECTOR ISSUE 1ENERGEIA

Deeening sbsraceresearch


2/20

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North Seainvestentotentia

Eoiting heavyoi reserves

Aberdeen:

A conityo science

AT WORK FOR THE ENERGY SECTOR ISSUE1

ENERGEIA

Deeening sbsraceresearch

Beneath the

waves in 3D

2 www.abdn.ac.uk/energy

ENERGEIA

As an internationally-renowned research and

teaching institution at

the heart o Europes Oil

Capital and with academic

links all over the world,

the University o Aberdeen

is ideally placed to work

with the energy industry

on the challenges it aces.

From major research

on the environment o

the deepest oceans to the latest teaching on global

economics, we thrive on developing solutions which

will boost the sustainability and competitiveness o the

energy sector.

Our aim is to be a partner o choice or the industry by

giving it the world leading research, talented graduates,

and highly skilled proessional colleagues to unlockand exploit the opportunities that lie ahead. Read on

to learn more on how we are using our excellence

in engineering, in science, in economics , law and

psychology, to work with the industry. We look orward

to exploring with you the many ways that we can

work together or the benet o the energy industry,

o academic research, and the economic health and

vibrancy o our region.

Proessor Ian Diamond FBA FRSE AcSS

Principal and Vice-Chancellor


3/20

Q) You have recently published an

independent prediction o activity in the

UKCS. How optimistic are you that the North

Sea remains a viable source o oil and gas?

A) Our new research paper indicates that

there is a very substantial potential remaining

in the UK Continental Shel (UKCS). To date

around 40 billion barrels o oil equivalent(bnboe) have been produced since 1967. Our

detailed economic modelling shows that over

the next 30 years at least another 14 bnboe

and possibly as much as 23 bnboe could

be produced.

Q) Why such a big range?

A) There are major uncertainties regarding the

behaviour o oil and gas prices and the ruits

o uture exploration. The rate o technological

progress, the levels o investment costs

and the uture tax arrangements are also

quite uncertain and impact substantially on

long term production. We thus undertake

sensitivity analysis to obtain a plausible range

o outcomes.

Q) What about the short to medium

term prospects?

A) Field investment should increase notably

in the short term with the development o

committed projects, but in the period 2013-2016 there could be a substantial all. Ater

that there should be an upward rebound.

There is a substantial sensitivity o eld

investment to oil and gas price behaviour.

In our medium price case, investment could

increase rom 5 billion in 2010 to 8 billion

next year and then all to 4 billion in 2015.

In our high price case, investment could

increase to nearly 10 billion in 2013 and thendecline to 6 billion in 2016. Unortunately this

volatility is a eature o the industry, refecting

not only the oil price sensitivity o returns

on new capital projects but the inevitable

irregular timing o the development o

new elds.

Q) And in the longer term?

A) The longer term prospects depend upon

combinations o (1) the decline rates in mature

elds, (2) the mitigation o these decline rates

by investments in incremental projects, (3) the

development o undeveloped discoveries, and(4) the ruits o urther exploration. In turn how

many developments take place

With aing eves o rodctionand the recent uK governent tahike, does the North Sea sti hod

signicant investent otentia?Ae Ke, proessor o petroeEconoics and Director, Aberdeen

Centre or Research in Energy

Econoics and Finance (ACREEF)at the university o Aberdeen,

discsses the ong ter rosectsor activity in the North Sea.

Does the North Seasti hod signicant

investent otentia?

Pctu: Pss Alx Kp 3

ISSUE 1

www.abdn.ac.uk/energy


4/20

will depend upon oil and gas

prices, trends in costs (per

barrel), the tax arrangements,

and other industry behavioural

actors. There are over 300

undeveloped discoveries, mosto which are small, and so costs

per barrel are high. The taxation

terms and other actors such as

third party access terms play

important roles in determining

the pace o development and thus

production.

Q) How do your projections

compare to ocial ones made by

DECC?

A) DECC has just updated their

estimates o the remainingpotential. Their central estimate

is just over 21 bnboe, with a low

one o 11.3 bnboe and an upper

one o nearly 36 bnboe. These

have no time actor but are

consistent with our own separate

modelling. In July the Oce o

Budget Responsibility published

their Fiscal Responsibility Report.

This contains an oil and gas

production projection which

simply extrapolates a continuingdecline rate o 5% per year

to 2040, leading to 12 bnboe

being produced between now

and that year. This would be a

disappointing outcome, especially

in the context o the relatively

high oil prices assumed. We are

suggesting that, with suitable

incentives and an increase

on the yearly numbers o new

developments above those

achieved in recent years, the

production decline rate could be

moderated, and, in the case o oil,

even be reversed or some years.

Q) Given the continuous

decline since 1999 how could oil

production possibly be increased?

A) In our modelling we are

nding that rom around 2017

the oil production decline could

be reversed principally due to

the development o elds and

incremental projects in the Westo Shetland region. These could

be suciently large as to reverse

the oil production decline or the

whole o the UKCS or several

years. This nding is consistent

with DECCs views on the

remaining resource potential.

Q) How has the change in UK tax

rates or oil production impacted

on projections or activity in

the UKCS?

A)Our modelling ound that overthe next 30 years investment

could be adversely aected to

such an extent that cumulative

oil and gas production would be

between 1-2 bnboe less than it

otherwise would have been. The

Does the North Sea still hold signicant investment potential?

main eect would not be elt in

the short term, because several

substantial projects are already

committed, but in the medium

and longer term. The (complex)

tax system is essentially afat-rate one but there is a high

variability in the protability o

the new elds and incremental

projects. Thus tax relies or those

o low or marginal protability are

necessary. The net result should

be to make the whole system

progressive rather than fat-rate.

We are working on this subject at

the present time.

Q) What can be done to enhance

activity levels?

A)A tax system which

recognises that many prospective

new investments oer only

modest or marginally acceptable

returns is clearly important.

There has been much talk about

Alex Kemp is Proessor oPetroleum Economics andDirector, Aberdeen Centreor Research in EnergyEconomics and Finance(ACREEF) at the Universityo Aberdeen.


ENERGEIA


5/20

Proessor Alex Kemp has

been published widely on the

licensing and taxation aspects

o the relationship between the

oil companies and Governments

with particular reerence to the

North Sea.

Proessor Kemp recently

became a member o the

Scottish Energy Advisory Board

to the Scottish Government and

has also advised many other

Governments, companies, and

the World Bank on petroleum

licensing and taxation. From

1993 to 2003 he was a member

o the Energy Advisory Panel

to the DTI. In 2006 he was

awarded the OBE or services to

the oil and gas sector.

Proessor Kemp is author oThe

Ofcial History o North Sea Oil

and Gas (2 volumes) published

in September 2011.

the negative eects o scal

instability in increasing the

riskiness o new investments,

resulting in licensees employing

higher hurdle rates when

assessing projects. While it may

be dicult or a government to

oer ull scal stability it is vital

that investors have condence

that the system in place refects

a ull understanding o the basic

economics, and the industry

should certainly not be regarded

simply as a convenient source o

extra short-term revenues.

But enhancing activity levels

requires not only a tax system

which recognises the basic

economics o the industry.

Increasing the numbers oelds brought into production

year by year can be helped by

improving the eciency by

which third party access to

inrastructure is achieved. The

existing Inrastructure Code o

Practice has been only partially

successul in this respect. It

has to be hoped that when the

current Energy Bill is enacted

there will be an improvement.

This Bill gives DECC more pro-active powers to intervene when

negotiations between the parties

are prolonged.

To maximise economic recovery

rom the UKCS urther R and D

is necessary both to acilitate

the development o small, very

high cost elds and to increase

the recovery actor rom mature

elds. For some years the level

o R and D in the UKCS rom all

sources has been low and urtherinitiatives are required rom all

stakeholders i the potential is to

be maximised.

Q) How will this impact

on decommissioning?

A)It impacts on decisions to

invest urther in mature elds

and to sell/purchase such mature

assets. Key issues are the tax

relies which will be available

or the decommissioning costs,

and the problem o nancialsecurity relating to these costs

when sales and purchases

o elds are made. These can

readily infuence investment

decisions in incremental

projects. The decision in Budget

2011 to disallow tax relie on

the increased element o the

Supplementary Charge (rom20% to 32%) has exacerbated the

uncertainty in the industry over

the uture availability o tax relie.

The Supplementary Charge is a

prots tax and decommissioning

expenditures are legitimate,

relevant costs which makes

their disallowance very odd. It

is important that condence

is restored on the availability

o relie or these (very large)

prospective costs. Our modelling

indicates that by 2042 thecumulative costs could exceed

30 billion.

DECC are concerned to ensure

that, when mature elds are sold,

the licensees are able to meet the

prospective decommissioning

liabilities. I they have a

doubt they can insist on bank

guarantees, and they reserve the

right to call on the selling party

i the buying party is unable to

provide adequate security. Whileit is ully understandable that the

government takes a risk-averse

attitude on this issue, the present

arrangements can inhibit worthy

transers and increase costs all

round. Various solutions have

been debated, including the

idea o a Decommissioning Trust

Fund with relie or alienated

contributions into it. It is

important that a solution be ound

i maximum economic recovery is

to be procured.Q) Are there any lessons or the

uture rom the publication o

your new book The Ofcial History

o North Sea Oil and Gas

(2 volumes)?

A)Some major issues do recur.

The issue o third party access

to inrastructure has been a

recurring one since the 1970s.

The question o the extent to

which the terms should be let

to negotiations between assetowner and prospective user or

whether the government should

actively intervene has remained

unresolved to this day. It has

become more important now

because o the much greater

need or expeditious agreements.

The decommissioning liability

question emerged as a big issue

in the mid-1980s and remainsunresolved. The perceived need

by the government to target

specied amounts o tax revenues

rom the industry in order to

meet macroeconomic budget

objectives has also occurred

historically, most notably in

1981 and 1982 when it was elt

necessary to increase tax receipts

rom North Sea oil by 1 billion

per year. In todays money this is

close to the extra 2 billion per

year which the government hasincorporated in Budget 2011. The

lesson or the industry is that it is

wise not to overlook

the governments budgetary

situation in assessing possible

uture tax policy.

Q) You were recently appointed

a member o the Scottish Energy

Advisory Board to the Scottish

Government. Will this help you to

communicate your views to policy

makers?

A)Yes. The First Minister chairs

the Board. I will also benet rom

hearing the views o leading

industry gures who are members

o the Board.

F at: ProessorKemp, [email protected]

T ofcal hst nt

Sa ol & Gas s aalabl :www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415570947

i

To maximiseeconomic recoveryrom the UKCS urtherR and D is necessaryboth to acilitate thedevelopment o small,

very high cost eldsand to increase therecovery actor rommature elds.

5

ISSUE 1



6/20

Since the wagon trains roed

west across the fedging united

States, the ter rontier has

aways conjred geograhic

eansion. Whether eoring the

oes, rainorests, deserts, high

eaks or dee oceans, sccess

eorers share coon indsets

and characteristics.

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gsctsts t callg

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cabs.

When it comes to the hunt or hydrocarbons,

the rontiers are certainly changing, says

ExploHUB Director Dr Stuart Archer. As

the worlds sedimentary basins becomeexhaustively explored, the term rontier

means more than just a land grab or new

acreage. Todays rontiers are everything rom

deeper and hotter plays (HPHT), previously

unrecognised subtle stratigraphic traps,

and targeting undrained compartments and

previously missed pay. We also need to tackle

the unconventionals, release the value in

heavy oil, and exploit advances in seismic

imaging and drilling technology.

Stuart knows his eld. As an exploration and

a production geologist or over 15 years hisexperience includes exploring the Atlantic

Margin, the Central North Sea, the Gul

F at: Stuart Archer+44 (0)1224 273449, [email protected]

www.abdn.ac.uk/explohub

i

o Mexico, as production geologist on the

Britannia Field and most recently on the newly

discovered HPHT Jasmine Field in the North

Seas Central Graben.

We know that most o the planets easy

hydrocarbons have been ound, he adds. As a

community we need to do something dierent

to access the more complex reservoirs. We

need a new generation o explorationists,

equipped with the inquisitiveness, skills and

creativity required to successully discover

what Earth may still be hiding rom us. This is

exactly what ExploHUB is all about.

One example o a rontier that Dr Archer

believes must be crossed is the lack o

regional-scale play airway analysis skills.

His view is that the importance o regional

geology and play airway analysis has been

undermined over the years by an over-

emphasis on postage stamp scale reservoir

characterisation, geological modelling and

prospect evaluation causing geologists to

lose sight o the bigger contextual picture and

the potential to see new opportunities through

regional integration. To redress this, he

believes that proessional development mustocus on the play airway scale, and should

also go back to basics by actually looking

at rocks on the surace - through local and

international exploration eld trips - to better

inorm subsurace interpretation.

The challenges are not only the science.

Exploration, like other parts o the industry,

is acing what has been termed the big crew

change. We know only too well that we are

set to lose invaluable geoscience experience

in the next 15 years or so, says Dr Archer.

And here again academia has a vital roleto play in working with the E&P industry to

address this.

Not only will the crew itsel change - the

new crew will need to change the tools

in the toolbox. For example, we need to

manage the technical transition rom

structural to stratigraphic traps, rom

shallow and clearly imaged targets to deeper

and uzzier targets, rom conventional to

unconventional resources, and rom extraction

to sequestration.

This is where the old hand resource is vital

and Aberdeen is, ater all, home to the second

largest geoscience community in the world

ater Houston. We must tap into the invaluable

experience o these old (and not so old) timers.

At ExploHUB we provide an environment that

eels more like a dedicated exploration team

in an oil company than a classroom - with

learning by doing rather than chalk and talk

or death by powerpoint.

What we are creating, above all, is a

gathering place or explorers in general.

Were distilling what it is to be a successul

explorer, and harnessing that willingness

to push back the new rontiers. Only by

engendered and developing these qualities in

the next generation o geoscientists will we

successully maximise the value o the Earths

last remaining hydrocarbon resources.

Deveoing eorersor the new rontiers


ENERGEIA

As a community weneed to do somethingdierent to access the morecomplex reservoirs. Weneed a new generation oexplorationists


7/20

Heavy oi reserves are vastbt reain argey ntaedas a rest o the rodction,

transortation, and rening

chaenges they resent. Cheica

engineering hods the key to

nocking the otentia o heavy

crde oi and Dr Nei Renton

describes how the university is not

ony shing the rontiers o heavy

oi research bt rodcing a new

generation o cheica engineers

to eet the growing needs o

indstry.

Chemical engineers are at the heart othe oil and gas business and, as the elds

become more technically dicult, top quality

engineering skills are going to become ever

more important, says Dr Renton.

At the head o the Universitys chemical

engineering group, he is leading a two-

pronged attack on these issues - seeking to

ensure top-quality research is conducted to

overcome the technical diculties o more

mature elds, and that increased numbers

o highly qualied chemical engineers enter

the sector.Aberdeen has achieved the critical mass to

be a global centre o excellence or the oil

out a new eld development rom scratch.

This contextual learning is proving vital in

encouraging them to stay within the sector

upon graduation.

It is this close bond with industry that Dr

Renton, who himsel has extensive experience

working or multinational companies, says isalso driving the research agenda at Aberdeen.

In addition to a strong academic team, we

have also appointed Tom Baxter rom Genesis

one o the most senior chemical engineers

in Aberdeen. He is supporting teaching and

research within the chemical engineering

programme and his expertise is invaluable in

driving orward initiatives which allow the

University and the oil and gas sector to work

together or mutual benet.

Heavy oil is aggressively being sought out as

the worlds energy demand increases and astechnology continues to improve. There are

huge reserves o heavy oil in almost every

oil province around the world, however it is

very dicult and expensive to extract; new

thinking is needed.

We know that chemical engineering has a

vital role to play in developing techniques or

the extraction and transportation o heavy oil.

We are currently investigating the rheological

properties o the emulsions that heavy oils

orm with water. Were looking at the role o

droplet size distribution, asphaltene contentand the chemistry o the oil-water interace in

the development o eective viscosities to

try and develop new ways o producing heavy

oil elds.

It is the skill o chemical engineers, working

in collaboration with their geologist and

petroleum engineering colleagues, which will

be required to make this more viscous and

dense resource fow through the sub-surace

and into the production system, says

Dr Renton.

The heavy oil projects being developedin the North Sea now are just the start o a

new technology challenge. Its an exciting

time to be involved in research and teaching

and the University o Aberdeen can make a

contribution to that challenge and urther

enhance Aberdeens central position in the

global oil and gas market.

and gas industry and the University has an

important part to play in maintaining this. In

2006 we became only the second universityin the UK to launch a chemical engineering

degree course in the past hal century.

The new chemical engineering group has

recognised heavy oil as a strategic research

priority or the coming decades.

We are now seeing the direct impact the

degree programme is having on industry. We

have more than 160 students across the ve

years o the programme, with our rst group

o BEng students graduating last year and the

rst cohort o MEng students receiving their

degrees in July. Every one o this group havegone on to jobs in the oil and gas industry

with companies including Schlumberger,

ExxonMobil, Genesis, Marathon, and Talisman.

We have long recognised how important it is

to maintain close links with industry and this

is playing an important role in ensuring our

students minds are opened to careers in the

energy sector.

Much o their learning occurs in the context

o oil and gas production. An example o this

is the multi-disciplinary design project they

undertake in 5th Year. A number o oil andgas companies here in the city contribute

to the design process where they carry

F at: Dr Neill Renton,[email protected]

i

Pctu: d nll rt (Ct: dal Stwat) 7

ISSUE 1


Eoitingthe otentiao heavy oi


8/20

Four decades o activity in the UKContinental Shel have resulted in

one o the most advanced legal andregulatory rameworks anywhere inthe world. The Universitys Centre

or Energy Law (CEL), established in

2010, has drawn on this experienceto provide not only a ocus or

energy law research but to orgekey partnerships and support globalindustry. Proessor Margaret Ross,

Head o the School o Law, describeshow the expertise o the Centre is inhigh demand and its plans to expand

global reach in its second year.

Pctu: e sz a Pss magat rss8 www.abdn.ac.uk/energy

ENERGEIA

Taking the ega

essons earned inthe North Sea to agoba adience


9/20

Pctu ab: Pss magat rss

The University o Aberdeen has a long

tradition o teaching law: it was over ve

hundred years ago that Bishop William

Elphinstone rst established a aculty o law at

Kings College.

It has a proven track record o carrying out

research across the whole spectrum o theenergy sector, and in August 2010 a new

Centre or Energy Law was established to

harness this expertise.

Industry responded quickly, says Proessor

Ross, and the Centre has made swit progress

in establishing an international reputation.

Within months o the creation o the Centre

the expertise o some members o its sta on

the regulatory aspects o deepwater oil and

gas development was in immediate demand in

Denmark, the United Kingdom and the

United States.

Greg Gordon delivered papers in the UK

and Denmark, and dealt with practical and

theoretical queries, on Exploitation and

Exploration o Deep-Water Oil: Regulatory

Problems and Prospects, while John Patersons

expertise on regulation and orientation in

occupational health and saety oshore was

called upon in a symposium in Massachusetts

on Learning rom Disaster: Lessons or the

Future rom the Gul o Mexico.

The Centres work includes being responsive

to requests or expertise in regulatory regimesrom around the world.

Approaches have been received rom China,

Brazil, Mexico, India, Australia, Ghana, Nigeria

and Lebanon, and countries with emerging

energy industries where the school has

graduates in key roles have been quick to seek

support rom Centre sta.

It also benets rom the Universitys

involvement in WECAP, an inormal academic

network matched to the World Energy Cities

Partnership and the Universitys wider ocus

on Energy.Another member o the Centres sta, Emre

senmez, visited Brazil in June 2011 as a

member o a UKTI/British Council delegation

led by the Deputy Prime Minister, while

Anatole Boute was appointed as an expert

adviser to the World Bank, or his expertise in

downstream activities in Russia.

Building links with lawyers involved in energy

internationally is a priority or the Centre, says

Proessor Ross.

This ensures cross-ertilisation o ideas,

sharing o networks, and exposure oUniversity o Aberdeen students to

commercial realities.

The Centre has also continued the Law

Schools collaboration with partners in the

North Sea Energy Law Programme with theUniversities o Copenhagen, Groningen and

Oslo. This is a part-time two year programme

including our intensive teaching periods

o two weeks held at the our dierent

universities with proessors and researchers

specialised in Energy Law.

The rst group o proessionals to complete

the programme graduated in June 2011 at an

event in The Hague.

The Centre or Energy Law supports a range

o teaching rom the undergraduate LLB which

includes options in Renewable Energy Law,Oil and Gas Law and Environmental Law, to

postgraduate taught LLM programmes in Oil

and Gas Law and Climate Change Law and

Sustainable Development and Energy law

postgraduate research degrees.

In its rst year the Centre hosted talks

on campus rom high prole speakers on

oil and gas law in Iraq, the protection o

energy investment contracts and also hosted

seminars on The Russian Drat Convention

on Energy Security and on Responding to

Climate Change and Peak Oil in Small Island

Developing States.

In other developments John Paterson and

Anne-Michelle Slater - the law schools expert

in marine spatial planning - were invited

to meet with key sta rom the European

Commissions Directorate General or

Maritime Aairs and Fisheries to discuss the

Commissions developing role in Integrated

Marine Policy, which included energy issues.

Links have also been established with energy

lawyers rom the Tim Fischer Centre or

Global Trade and Finance, Faculty o Law,Bond University, Australia, to discuss common

research interests in petroleum regulation, and

specically saety regulation in the wake not

only o the Deepwater Horizon accident but

also the Montara blowout in Australias sector

o the Timor Sea in August 2009.

The signicant involvement o CEL sta in a

range o international issues demonstrates the

industry demand or this type o centre.

We are not only meeting a growing demand

but responding quickly to industry needs.

To support this, academics within the Centre

have been involved in updating or producing

new chapters or the second edition oOil

and Gas Law: Current Practice and Emerging

Trends, edited by Greg Gordon, John Paterson

and Emre senmez.

These chapters include discussion o

signicant developments in the law aecting

oil and gas in the UK Continental Shel

in the elds o licensing, taxation, joint

operating agreements, health and saety,

decommissioning, stewardship, access to

inrastructure, allow blocks and discoveries,dispute management and resolution, and

risk allocation.

F at:www.abdn.ac.uk/energylaw

i

Our postgraduate students are drawn rom

a large international community with many

working either in government or or oil and

gas companies.

Many o our students will go on to become

leaders in their elds in their countries.

The energy and expertise o its members

and partners with their truly global reach,

are what will make the Centre go rom

strength to strength.

9

ISSUE 1


Approaches have beenreceived rom China, Brazil,Mexico, India, Australia,Ghana, Nigeria andLebanon, and countries withemerging energy industries

where the school hasgraduates in key roles havebeen quick to seek supportrom Centre sta.

We are not only meetinga growing demand butresponding quickly toindustry needs.


10/20

Sensor systems have a wide

range o uses across many

industries. In the subsea sector,

sensors or temperature and

pressure measurement are

already in use in areas such as

subsea well control systems,

and various sensors are used

on remotely operated vehicles

(ROVs), but Dr Neilson says thepotential or more intelligent

systems is vast.

Aberdeen is leading the subsea

developments or the consortium

which also includes Dundee and

Robert Gordon universities in the

North East. The Universities o

Glasgow, Strathclyde, Edinburgh,

Heriot-Watt and St Andrews

will ocus on terrestrial and

airborne systems.

The Centre will strengthensensors development within

Scotland, and help maintain an

area that is estimated to be worth

2.1bn to Scotlands economy

and is recognised worldwide,Dr

Neilson says.

The overall aim o the Centre is to

produce complete sensor systems,

which are able to measure a

variable, process the data, extract

the relevant inormation locallyand transmit that to the operator.

I something is being monitored

continually over a long period and

is unctioning correctly or 99% o

the time you do not necessarily

want years worth o data.

However, i there is a trend or a

sudden change then that should

be picked up and reported.

Currently this usually happens

with the operator but this

means transmitting all the data.To do it at source requires a

sensor system that has some

local processing capacity and

in built intelligence to make

decisions. Because o this the

Centre includes institutions

with skills in data processing,

automated decision-making, andcommunications.

In some cases networks o

sensors which can communicate

might be needed to eectively

monitor a subsea system, or

example a pipeline. A series o

wireless sensors could be placed

along the pipeline, monitoring its

perormance and passing relevant

inormation along the line to the

operator without the need or the

installation o an umbilical cable.

But it will not be down to

academics to set the research

agenda projects will be driven

by the needs o industry. The

Centre will be putting out a call

or project proposals which will

be assessed by an industrially led

steering group.

Projects need to have an

industrial partner committed

to supporting the project and a

university partner, Dr Neilsonadded. I companies have ideas

they want to develop we can

acilitate this to allow them to

discuss their requirements and

then to build a proposal.

The project, unded by the

Scottish Funding Council, higher

education institutes and industry,

is already making progress.

The SFC unds are allowing us

to put in place sensor test beds to

which industry will have access.

We are currently awaiting delivery

o laser based and diode based

spectroscopic systems, which

will complement our existing

acilities. The presence o the

pressure test acilities at our

Oceanlab which can simulate

depths o up to 6000m will allowus to oer industry the possibility

o testing systems in near eld

conditions prior to deployment.

A new knowedge echange hb, the ScottishSensor Systes Centre, invoving eight eadingScottish niversities, rivate coanies and the

bic sector has been estabished to he Scotandstrengthen its osition as a word eader in the

deveoent and se o sensor systes. Dr RichardNeison ro the university o Aberdeen detais howindstry needs wi shae the research agenda.

Indstryartnershidrives researchinto sensorsystes

F at:sensorsystems.org.uk

Tccal equs:Richard Neilson,

[email protected]

Gal equs:[email protected]

i

Pctu: d rca nls www.abdn.ac.uk/energy

ENERGEIA

10


11/20

proessor John Watson and hisresearch teas in the Schoo oEngineering have sent ore thana qarter o a centry deveoing

nderwater hoograhic caerashoocaeras which can record

the sbsea environent inan entirey non-intrsive andnon-destrctive way. These

hoocaeras have been wideysed in bioogica aications bthave the otentia to be tiised

by the oshore oi and gas andrenewabe energy indstries.

When I rst began to develop these holocams

I had in mind that we would take holograms

o pipelines and monitor corrosion pitting and

any damage or visible deects, but it was the

marine biologists who initially took interest,

says Proessor Watson.

Although holographic imaging is capable o

resolving objects or particles down to a ewmicrometres dimension, our rst holocamera

was very large and heavy, recorded holograms

on photographic lm, needed laborious

reconstruction and analysis in the laboratory

and could only be deployed to 100 metres

depth.

However, with advancements in electronic

optical sensors and the development o digital

holographic recording, holography now has

the potential to be used in a wide range

o subsea applications o relevance to the

oshore energy industry.

Our latest holocamera (eHoloCam) is

compact, and uses digital recording o 3D

holographic videos with visualisation and

analysis carried out entirely by computer

processing, Proessor Watson continues.

Using eHoloCam down to 450 metres depth

in the North Sea, we have already recorded

several thousand holograms o tiny subsea

organisms such as plankton, which hold

crucial indicators and clues to increase our

understanding o the oceans o the world.

Detailed holographic images o theseorganisms, which range in size rom a ew

micrometres to several millimetres, are

Beneath the

waves in 3D

essential or the marine biology community,

providing vital inormation relating to theirdistribution and populations which would

otherwise be dicult or impossible to extract.

Now, in the School o Engineering, post-

doctoral ellow Dr Nick Burns is leading a

team - in conjunction with the Universitys

OceanLab - to re-develop eHoloCam or

deployment to depths o 10,000 metres

in the Kermadec Trench o the coast o

New Zealand.

Successul deployment o eHoloCam, planned

or February 2012, at these extreme depths or

biological applications will help us appreciateits potential or uture deepsea applications

in the oil and gas industry, adds Proessor

Watson.

In the energy industry it could be used not

only to investigate pipeline corrosion but

could potentially be used to look at thermal

fows around pipelines.

For the renewables sector, it could perhaps

be applied to monitor water fow around the

platorms o oshore wind turbines and the

debris kicked up.However, to reach this stage urther research

and unding - is required. Many oshore

problems require a slightly dierent design o

holocamera, he says.

The holographic camera we are currently

working with is really designed or taking

holograms o semi-transparent scenes through

the water with a detector on one side and

laser light source on the other.

The oshore industry is mostly interested

in solid objects the corrosion o pipelines

or example thus the camera has to be

redesigned to use light refected rom the

subject.

That requires a dierent holographic

conguration, and larger electronic sensors

with a smaller pixel size than currently being

used. This is now what we will look to do.

In the past the project has enjoyed support

rom a EC MASTS, NERC, DTI LINK

programme (with CDL and Elorlight) and

Marine Scotland,Aberdeen and we are looking

or an industry partner to work with to urther

develop the eHoloCam or use in the oil, gas

and renewable sectors.

F at: Proessor John Watson,School o Engineering, [email protected]

i

Pctu: J Wats (ct Gaa Jps) 11

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12/20

Iroving oshore saety isaways high on the agenda andgreat rogress has been adein recent years when it coes to

regation, anageent, technicaoerations and rocedres. Btinvestigations oowing ajor

accidents, not ony in the oi andgas indstry bt in other high

risk environents, have shownthat han behavior oten aysa ajor roe. proessor Rhona

Fin eains how indstriasychoogists at the universityo Aberdeen are aking rogress

when it coes to nderstandingthe behaviors o workers andanagers in saety critica

indstries sch as energy andaviation, as we as in heathcare.

Risk oshore can be managed in a multitude

o ways but by nature there is always a

human actor to be considered even withsophisticated technical protection systems,

says Proessor Flin.

Does nderstanding

han behavior hodthe key to irovingoshore saety?

At the University o Aberdeen, she and her

colleague Dr Kathryn Mearns have spent the

last 20 years researching what infuences

workers behaviours in relation to saety

and what can be done to reduce risk in

hazardous environments.

In that time ocus has shited rom the

crews on the oil installations to the oshore

managers and supervisors, and currently

the team is investigating the important role

played by senior managers onshore.

The Piper Alpha disaster and Lord Cullens

infuential report provided the impetus or Flin

and Mearns saety studies, and partnerships

were ormed with the oil and gas industry

and the Health and Saety Executive whichhave supported more than two decades o

their research.

Their investigations began with a project

which examined the selection, training and

competence assessment o the oshore

installation managers who were in charge

o the platorms and rigs, with particular

reerence to their ability to take command in

an emergency.

The psychologists looked at leadership, stress

resistance and the ability to take autocraticdecisions rapidly in uncertain conditions.

It transpired that very little was documented

about these processes and the collated

inormation became a book called Sitting in

the Hot Seat (Flin, 1996). This also discussed

the available psychological evidence on

key skills relating to situation assessment,

decision making, leadership and stress

management.

Following Lord Cullens report there was a

furry o activity across the industry to conductquantitative risk assessments, says

Proessor Flin.

ENERGEIA


Following Lord Cullensreport there was a furry oactivity across the industryto conduct quantitative riskassessments

Pctu: Pss ra Fl


13/20

But what also had to be taken

into account was how the

workorce perceived these risks.

Collaborating with Norwegian

psychologist, Torbjrn Rundmo

rom Trondheim University,

Kathryn Mearns and I beganto design risk perception

questionnaires or the

oshore workorce.

What became apparent was

that workers were in act aware

o the hazards. What we needed

to explain was why they actually

took risks. What was driving

unsae behaviours?

Our risk-perception

questionnaires evolved into

saety-climate surveys which

showed that managers and

supervisors were key infuences

on the patterns o behaviour that

were accepted at the worksites.

We are now running similar

studies in hospitals, as healthcare

organisations have recently

realised the level o risk or their

patients.

strategic managers that infuence

organisational saety.

Close collaboration with industry

has been essential in order to

conduct and develop this area

o research.

Major accidents like Deepwater

Horizon or the RAF Nimrod crash

have shown how important it

is to better understand human

behaviour and the role that

psychology could play in helping

to create saer environments

oshore, Proessor Flin adds.

The industry itsel has become

much more aware o human

actors in recent years and we

have seen a big shit in attention

towards behaviours relating to

cognitive skills, team working

and leadership, which are parto the human actors portolio.

Indeed many o our PhD students

who have worked with us to

investigate these matters are now

working in the oil and gas sector.

However, although it is generally

realised that senior managers can

infuence saety there is actually

very little evidence as to which

behaviours have the greatest

impact.

We have adopted the approachrom medicine o trying to provide

the data on human behaviours

so that managers can engage in

evidence based practice. By doing

this, psychology could unlock one

o the key human actors which is

still not ully understood when it

comes to oshore saety.

F at: Isabella Roger,[email protected]

orProessor Rhona Flin, [email protected]

iF at t

wk t iustal Psclgrsac Ct st:www.abdn.ac.uk/iprc

i

Since then work has progressed

and the psychologists are now

ocusing on the role o senior

managers in both the energy and

aviation sectors.

It became clear that it was

not only the site managers who

infuenced saety. The oshore

workorce knew all too well that

site managers were directed by

more senior managers onshore.

We are now looking at the

important role that senior

managers can play and the

Energy Institute is sponsoring

research by one o our PhD

students, Isabella Roger, whois endeavouring to identiy

the leadership behaviours o

13

ISSUE 1


What becameapparent was thatworkers were in actaware o the hazards.What we needed toexplain was why they

actually took risks.What was drivingunsae behaviours?

Isabella Roger is a PhD student investigating

senior managers infuence on organisational saety

in the energy industry. This research is sponsored by

the Energy Institute and is inormed by continuing

collaboration with operating companies, contract/

service companies and health and saety regulators.

The work ocuses on identiying key skills and

behaviours which dierentiate excellent saety leaders.

Her ndings point to the act that eective leaders

at the senior level strive to maintain risk awareness,

particularly in an operational sense.

She sets out six key questions senior managers can askthemselves to assess their saety leadership skills and

risk awareness.

DoIknowwherethebiggestrisksaregoingtobe

to our operations today?

Doesthiscompanyplacesufcientfocusonour

process saety risks, in addition to our personal

saety risks?

DoIthoroughlyconsiderhowbudgetdecisions

may aect the long-term integrity o our assets

and ability to maintain sae conditions or the

workorce? DomyemployeesbelievethatIwillsupportthem

in the event that they have to stop operations to

address saety concerns?

DoIinitiateopenconversationswhichallowmeto

hear the true concerns o the workorce?

HowcanIbesurethatlessonsfromnearmisses

and incidents are being shared and understood

across all company sites?

work has

progressed and thepsychologists arenow ocusing onthe role o seniormanagers in both theenergy and aviationsectors.

Si key qestions


14/20

Art and science are otenseen as searate reas bt arebroght together in a creative

environent or the anna Fabrico the land ehibition, organisedby the Deartent o Geoogy and

petroe Geoogy. Cobiningne art and ites o geoogicainterest or signicance in the sae

sace has catred the biciagination and proessor AndrewHrst refects on the growing

retation o this innovativeehibition.

The Scottish environment and landscape is

shaped by its geology, none more so than

in the North-East where the exploration ogeological resources has shaped the city o

Aberdeen and surrounding areas.

It was this link between geology and

landscape which inspired the rst Fabric

o the Land exhibition in 2009, explains

Proessor Hurst.

One o the great things about being a

geologist is that so many lay people can relate

to the medium with which we work. We look

at the land beore us and see thrusts, ossils

and millions o years o earth history and

artists look at the same and see beauty, colour,texture, shade and, they see things di erently

than we do.

The art o or Earth

They make observations that are not

necessarily related to science sensu stricto

and when they transpose their observations

rom reality into the abstract orm that is

in every artwork ever made, an exciting

connection is made between the natural

beauty o our science and a beauty in artistic

orm that many more can appreciate.

It thereore seemed natural or us to

showcase an exhibition which marked the

crossover between the two. Art should be

shared and be used to stimulate learning.

Now in its third year, with the exhibition

running rom August 27 to September 18

2011, Fabric o the Land is attracting not only

growing numbers o visitors but national and

even international interest.

More than 120 artists rom across the UKsubmitted entries in line with this years

theme the Origin o Colour.

Sponsored by diversied energy services

company Senergy and curated by SMART

Consultants, the exhibition brings together

artists working in a diverse range o mediumsranging rom painting and photography to

sculpture and jewellery design.

Proessor Hurst hopes to build on this success

to take Fabric o the Land across the Atlantic.

Weve had interest in the exhibition rom

across the world and many artists have

written to say how inspired they have been by

the concept.

The Fabric o the Land is unique not only

because we combine art and science but

because o the setting. In a matter o days an

ordinary geology laboratory is transormedinto an art gallery. Benches are removed, the

equipment is put away and a space is created

to rival any museum.

It was important to us that we hold the

exhibition in a laboratory as it underpins the

connection between art and science.

F at:www.abricotheland.com

i

ENERGEIA



15/20

F at:www.abdn.ac.uk/geology/

research/acilities/seislab.php

i

The oening o the new seislAB has acedthe university o Aberdeen at the oreront o uKresearch sing seisic srveys ro the energyindstry. proessor Ben Kneer describes how

this innovative artnershi is heing not ony indeveoing skis and technoogy in the oi and gasarena, bt wi aso contribte to a ndaenta

nderstanding o or anet.

The University o Aberdeen has

long held a respected position in

the eld o petroleum geosciences

but we need the support o the

leading industry players to

work with us in developing

leading-edge acilities, says

Proessor Kneller.

The recent opening o the

seisLAB has demonstrated the

benets arising rom combining

industry resources and academic

expertise. seisLAB utilises seismic

data acquired by the industry,

whose acquisition cost is usually

beyond the reach o academic

researchers.

By teaming up with energy

companies BP, Chevron,

BG Group, Halliburton andSchlumberger, academic sta,

masters and PhD students within

the department o geology now

have access to these advanced

resources.

And this is essential, says

Proessor Kneller, in equipping

them or uture careers in the

energy industry.

We estimate that 70-80% o

our geology graduates will be

engaged in work o this type

when they gain employment in

the industry. It is crucial thereore

that they are trained in an

environment where seismically-

based research is at the oreront,

that our teaching programmes

allow students to develop these

skills, and that Aberdeen, as

Europes energy capital, remainsat the oreront in tackling the

challenges o this industry.

Geology has been taught at the

University o Aberdeen or more

than 150 years, and today the

University has an internationalprole and reputation as a centre

o excellence or its teaching and

research in petroleum geology.

In contrast to the national trend,

Aberdeens numbers o geology

students at both undergraduate

and postgraduate level has

enjoyed steady growth since the

mid 1980s.

They now have the benet o

working in a wholly reurbished,

air-conditioned space which

houses teen Linux, Unix and

Windows workstations, an

adjacent seminar/study area with

display space and projection

acilities, in addition to centrally-

housed servers and RAID data

storage. This has all been made

possible by the enthusiasm

and generosity o our industry

partners to whom we are

extremely grateul.

The acilities have already played

a part in attracting internationalstudents to the University

and three PhD candidates

Innovativeartnershi deeeningsbsrace research

rom PEMEX the national oil

company o Mexico are using

seisLAB in their research projects.

But it is not only graduates andtheir uture employers who

gain rom the partnership.

Proessor Kneller says seisLAB

is contributing to a undamental

understanding o our planet.

The opening o our seisLAB

consolidates seismic

interpretation based research

within our School o Geosciences.

By using the three-dimensional

seismic data provided by industry,

researchers are able to investigatethe structure o large portions o

the upper crust o the Earth, to

analyse its sedimentary systems,

and to deduce its geological

evolution. The three-dimensional

views that seismic data give us,

oers an unparalleled

opportunity to examine the way

the Earth works.

Pctu: P B Kll a Pd stut Za Palacs 15

ISSUE 1



16/20

mention egacy biding and2012 and the london Oyicsay sring to ind bt in

Aberdeen the words carry adierent eaning as the cityreares to host Eroes biggest

science estiva aiing to insirethe net generation o scientists,

technoogists and engineers.

Dr Ken Skedon eains how theuniversity is biding on a 20-year

tradition in bic engageentwith science and how the iact

o the British Science Festivacod be et by indstry ong ater2012.

Aberdeen is a city with a history in engagingthe wider community with exciting

innovations in science and technology, many

o which come as a direct result o its central

position in the energy sector.

Today the University o Aberdeen is taking a

leading role in driving orward creative events

and activities which engage a wide range

o audiences.

This is epitomised not least by the Universitys

successul bid to hold Europes largest

celebration o science, engineering andtechnology the British Science Festival

in 2012.

Aberdeen: A vibrantconity oscience

Dr Ken Skeldon, o the University oAberdeens Public Engagement with Science

Unit, says Aberdeen has a 20-year tradition

o pushing the boundaries when it comes to

bringing the public ace-to-ace with those

people undertaking groundbreaking research,

science and innovation.

Satrosphere is Scotlands rst science and

discovery centre and one o the very rst to be

established in the UK. Since 1988 hands-on

exhibits and live science shows have helped

visitors discover more about the world around

them and the science o how things work.

Aberdeen is also home to TechFest-SetPoint,

a charitable organisation which aims to

Pctu: d K Skl a A Pllps

ENERGEIA



17/20

Where else but a university would you expect

discussion and debate on a topical issue rom

all perspectives? Public events and lectures

at the University o Aberdeen seek to do just

that: to bring together industry, academia,

policymakers and the public to look rom all

angles at the big issues acing industry and

society as we move through this century o

challenge and opportunity.

The Energy Controversies Lecture Seriesis now a regular highlight o the Universitys

public programme, and is designed to hear

rom experts and stimulate discussion o some

o the contentious issues surrounding global

energy use.

Topics eatured to date include the decline

o ossil uels as an energy source, the impact

o a changing international political climate,

and the scientic background to the climate

change debate. Prior to the 2011 Scottish

Government elections, a cross-party panel

o politicians discussed their energy policies

with a lively audience in a packed Kings

College Conerence Centre.

A second series, the RV Jones Lectures,

commemorates one o the Universitys most

distinguished academics, at spring and

autumn events which welcome leading

international experts in the various elds o

engineering. Reginald Victor Jones (known

to colleagues as RV) played a key role in the

deence o Britain during World War II, working

as a scientic advisor or British Intelligence

and Winston Churchill. At the end o the

war, RV Jones came to Aberdeen to becomeProessor o Natural Philosophy, and enjoyed a

career o over thirty years as a gited educator

who was passionate about teaching and

scientic history, nally retiring in 1981.

University lectures normally start at 6pm in

Kings College Conerence Centre, University

o Aberdeen, and are usually ollowed by a

wine reception and the opportunity or urther

discussion and networking. Dates or events

this coming autumn will be announced soon.

inspire young people

about science, technology,

engineering and

mathematics and whose

annual TechFest event is

one o the UKs longest

running estivals.The University has

long recognised the

importance o working

in partnership with such

organisations and our bid

or the British Science

Festival was strengthened

in no small part by these

relationships.

Dr Skeldon says it is

becoming ever more

important or universitiesto embrace the

community engagement

agenda in order to bring

their research and the

people doing that

research ace to ace

with the public.

Such activities benet

both camps and help

orge new skill sets with

researchers reaching a

more diverse audiencethan simply their peers.

The University o

Aberdeen has embraced

this challenge and the

community o Aberdeen,

home to many o the high-

tech industries which

support oil and gas, has

welcomed and supported

the opportunities.

The Universitys Ca

Scientique programmeis now the biggest in the

UK engaging an audience

o 4,000 people per year

across a range o inormal

settings with discussion

and debate at its core.

Much o this activity

thrives through

partnership with business

and industry, together

with voluntary and

community organisationsand crucially the

education sector.

The British Science

Festival is expected

to take this to a newlevel with thousands o

visitors descending on

Aberdeen or a stimulating

programme eaturing

leading academics, award-

winning commentators,

science communicators,

authors and perormers.

There will also be a

dedicated programme or

primary and secondary

school pupils.

The event is not just

or those who work

in science; its also a

tremendous opportunity

or the whole o our

community - rom

businesses to schools - to

get involved and be part

o this fagship event or

Scotland, Dr Skeldon

added.

We are determined thatthis event benets the ull

range o stakeholders and

ensures legacies are built.

Aberdeen and the North-

East present a great set

o opportunities going

orward or highly skilled

engineers, scientists

and technologists, many

as a result o its energy

industry, and we hope

the estival will helpto encourage a new

generation o young

people to embrace

science, technology,

engineering and maths asa career path o choice.

We also aim to encourage

more companies to

get involved in public

engagement events,

and orge stronger links

with industry and with

education initiatives in the

region.

Within the University

we hope to see a greater

number o our own staand students getting

engaged with the wider

community and acting

as role models or

young people starting

out on their education

experience.

A stronger annual

TechFest moving orward

will also benet our

objectives, helping ensure

that more young minds

are opened to science and

technology.

This is Aberdeen and

the North Easts chance

to shine lets make the

most o it.

F at:Dr Ken Skeldon

[email protected]

dtals t BtsScc Fstal, wc

us Sptb 4-92012, a aalabl at:www.abdn.ac.uk/2012

i

F at a bk tcgUst ts: www.abdn.ac.uk/events

i

Debating thehot isses in

energy andengineering

17

ISSUE 1



18/20

Schoarshis areessentia in heing toattract the ost taented

stdents to Aberdeen,

with ore than 250

awarded annay by the

university.

The local and international oil

and gas industry has been quick

to recognise the important role

scholarships play in promoting

their industry and attracting and

developing a new generation o

highly skilled graduates - many

o whom go on to join the

energy sector.

Scholarships can be awarded

based on academic merit,

nancial need, or personal

characteristics and help to

create a vibrant and stimulating

academic community.

Industry supporters o the

Universitys Scholarship

Programme include Talisman,

Halliburton, CNR, Atkins,Kongsberg, Technip, Chevron,

Suncor, Falc Nutec, OPITO, and

Fugro Rovtech. In addition to

nancial support scholarships

also provide students with

opportunities to apply or work

and project placements and

to benet rom mentoring and

networking with industry leaders.

By oering scholarship support

companies can establish lasting

relationships with exceptional

students, raise their prole among

the Universitys wider student

body and develop relationships

with leading academics in

business-relevant disciplines.

George Yule, President o

Aberdeen and Grampian

Chamber o Commerce and

Honorary Research Fellow at the

University, said: Scholarships not

only provide direct support or

students, they also add value in

promoting academic andindustry collaboration which

benets all parties.

A stdent ro theuniversity o Aberdeen

has been awarded the

Society o petroe

Engineers (SpE) ost

restigios internationa

schoarshi.

Nurkenay Bulekbayeva, 19, hasbeen awarded the SPE STAR

Scholarship Award or the

North Sea Region or 2011-12,

beating o competition rom

undergraduate students rom

across Europe.

Nurkenay, originally rom

Kazakhstan, is in her second year

studying Petroleum Engineering

at the University o Aberdeen and

has been a member o the SPE

Aberdeen Section since arrivingin Scotland to study.

The scholarship is regarded

as the most sought-ater and

prominent award given out by the

international organisation, and

ater a challenging application

process, where Nurkenays

academic achievements

and personal qualities were

scrutinised, Nurkenay was chosen

as only one o two winners or the

North Sea region.Nurkenay, who is also vice-

president o the University o

Aberdeens SPE student chapter,

said: It is such an honour to be

given this award by SPE. As soon

as I arrived in Aberdeen I was

advised to join SPE as it was the

best way or students to interact

with industry and the Aberdeen

Section has been extremelysupportive o me and my studies

since I joined.

The STAR Scholarship Award

means Nurkenay receives

approximately 1,550 [$2,500

USD] per year until she

graduates, and SPE Aberdeen

and the University o Aberdeen

have agreed to provide extra

sponsorship or Nurkenay so that

she can to fy to Denver, Colorado

to collect her award at the SPEAnnual Technical Conerence and

Exhibition (ATCE) later this year.

Proessor Tom ODonoghue,

Head o the Universitys School

o Engineering, added: This

is a antastic achievement

and everyone in the School

o Engineering joins me in

congratulating her. Nurkenays

award is another great advert or

our new undergraduate Petroleum

Engineering programme whichstarted in 2008 and goes rom

strength to strength.

Aberdeen stdent wins

restigios internationaschoarshi

Pctu: S Sat (ct), UK vP hallbut aJata Ca & Jat h.

Pctu: nuka Bulkbaa (tkPr)

Id encourage businesses and

business leaders to become

involved in scholarshipprogrammes to help talented

students to reach their ull

potential.

Jonathan Carney, BSc Geology &

Petroleum Geology, received the

Halliburton scholarship in 2010.

He said The scholarship has

beneted me in all aspects o my

lie. Financially the scholarship

has given me the opportunity to

continue with my most exciting

and advantageous ventures

whilst creating the time to studymore eciently or university. It

is not just the money that has

been benecial, or me the pride

in being awarded this scholarship

was immense.

The Universitys Development

Trust will be pleased to discuss

all o the opportunities or

establishing scholarships

at Aberdeen.

Investing in the energystars o the tre

F at:Phillipa Dunord

[email protected]

i


ENERGEIA

By oeringscholarship supportcompanies canestablish lastingrelationships withexceptional students


19/20

The universitys fagshi new library oersnrivaed views across Aberdeen and rovides state-

o the-art aciities not ony or sta and stdents btor the wider conity.

The 57 million project has been achieved with the support o the

local business community and the oil and gas sector has played a

pivotal role.

Global shipping and energy services rm the Craig Group and the Craigamily made a 1 million donation towards the creation o the top foor

o the new Library.

The Craig Floor overlooks the North Sea and also aords spectacular

views to the inner atrium. As the centrepiece o the new structure, the

atrium rises and turns rom entrance level to The Craig Floor, oering a

seamless fow rom the public exhibition area o the Special Collections

Centre, up towards the learning and research areas o the Library.

The David Craig Suite houses a series o fexible conerence and

seminar rooms and will be used or University and student events as

well as being made available to the wider business community or

meetings and inormal evening receptions.

The energy industry is also recognised in the Librarys Heritage Suite

which celebrates many o the business sectors which have been crucial

in the development o the North East o Scotland through the centuries.

Talisman Energy (UK) Ltd, Technip UK Limited, Suncor UK Ltd and

Hess Corporation have also made signicant contributions towards the

Library. In addition to providing a cutting-edge learning and research

environment to students and sta, the building will also saely preserve

the Universitys distinguished collections o rare historic manuscripts,

books and archives and make them available to community audiences

rom across northern Scotland and ar beyond.

Work is now nderway on the Aberdeen AqaticCentre the net hase o Aberdeen Sorts Viage.

GRAHAM Construction, which is in the nal stages o completing the

reurbishment o the Royal Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh, tookpossession o the site, ormerly home to Linkseld Academy, in August

and is now planning the new build.

The Centre will be the second phase o the Aberdeen Sports Village

development, building on the success o the 28 million regional sports

centre which opened in August 2009 and is a partnership between the

University, sportscotland and Aberdeen City Council.

It will provide long lane training opportunities or elite swimmers who

currently have no acilities north o Stirling, and provide a community

acility that will encourage participation in water-based activities at all

ages and abilities.

David Beattie, CEO o Aberdeen Sports Village, said: With the London

Olympics just around the corner this is an important time or sport in

the UK so it is antastic to see our vision or the aquatic centre starting

to become a reality.

We have enjoyed wonderul support rom the business community,

including the oil and gas sector, which has been essential in bringing

the project to this stage.

F at t aclts p b t w Lba:www.abdn.ac.uk/newlibrary

F at abut w t gt l t pjct:www.abdn.ac.uk/giving/major-projects/aquatic-centre

ii

Energy indstryays ajor roe in

iconic new bidingor Aberdeen

Aqa sortsor a

Opening o theAquatics Centre isplanned or early 2014.

Pctu: P ia da a duglas Cag md & Caa, Cag Gup,at t w lba ug cstuct

19

ISSUE 1



20/20

Documents

Energeia ISSUE 1[1]