When it comes to talking about Oil & Gas it can sometimes feel like we’re the only ones happy to be at the party.
While everyone else is sitting glumly around the wine box and cheese crackers, talking about the loss of the ‘good old days’, we’re all in the kitchen swapping good news stories.
Such as that time the First Minister announced the Oil & Gas industry still has a strong future in Scotland, despite all of its current economic challenges.
No? Surely, you remember: it was only a couple of weeks ago when Nicola Sturgeon was officially opening the brand new offices of Statoil in Aberdeen.
What could be more upbeat than a new HQ?
Well, Statoil did also use the occasion to announce major plans to expand its operations in the North Sea.
Then there was that bit about expecting to employ up to 200 workers onshore and up to 500 positions offshore.
Of course, the punchline was a beauty: Statoil confirmed more than a thousand jobs will be supported in the supply chain as it develops the new Mariner field.
You haven’t heard about the Mariner heavy oil field?
Production is on track here to begin in 2018 with a lifespan of around 30 years.
And when she wasn’t happily playing with a scaled-down model of the Noble Lloyd Noble jack up rig – to be berthed at Global Energy’s Nigg Energy Park before taking up its position in the Mariner – Nicola also confirmed the first 600 people have had applications approved for the three-year Transition Training Fund.
This initiative was launched in February to help the country retain all of those valuable skills developed through the years in Oil & Gas.
At that point Nicola really did get the party started when she let slip no fewer than 70 innovation projects – with a total project value of £16 million – have been boosted to the tune of £7 million of government aid.
This will help companies reduce the risks in all-important research and development.
With our kitchen shindig now fully under way, there’s one final revelation: a further £1.1million has been invested to support business resilience in the industry.
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