December 2017

As the pace of change in the global energy industry increases, notable projects are being announced, completed and put into operation. Each day, it seems that more renewable energy is entering our grids, more innovations are coming to the fore, and the direction of the energy industry is constantly moving. Our friends in coal, oil and gas are also introducing a number of innovations to make the use of their products more efficient, effective and clean.

Statoil has confirmed it will build the world’s first floating wind farm in Scotland, it has awarded contracts for the production of the major Johan Castberg discovery, and it announced the completion of the Dudgeon Offshore Windfarm off the Eastern Coast of the UK.

The big-name fuel retailers have been vying for position, opening new locations and introducing new products to try and temp customers and win market share.

In upstream, Argentina and southern Africa remain targets for established European players, while the seas in south eastern Asia remain attractive.

In this December and January edition of Energy Focus, we look at the business of Lamprell. One of the world’s best-known rig makers, the Dubai-based company has enjoyed a productive 2017 delivering a number of important projects, while expecting a strong future pipeline.

We also look at UK-based Claxton Engineering which has been delivering innovative solutions to the offshore decommissioning market. The ideas developed by Claxton are now regarded as best-in-class and are being utilised around the world – quite the journey for what started as a small family business.

We also take a closer look at the infamous launch of the Semi by Tesla. The company claims its new electric truck can travel 500 miles without need for charging – potentially a game changer when it comes to taking emissions off the road.

As we move into 2018, the importance of innovative new energy solutions has never been clearer.