Energy is not easy to describe but essentially it is that mysterious, invisible essence that makes things happen in the world: heat, light, movement, Granny Ina’s oven.
Any industry that deals in energy, then, must be a formidable force indeed.
Which makes the Oil & Gas sector very peculiar.
It manages very successfully to feed the world’s insatiable hunger for energy and, even as we move ever closer to a carbon-free future, it looks likely to remain hugely important throughout the transition.
And yet, despite this, many of the industry’s top movers and shakers seem perfectly happy to put Oil & Gas down at every opportunity.
Theirs is a confusing sentiment: it’s a bit like moaning because your quidszillion pounds winning lottery ticket isn’t printed in your favourite colour.
So to cheer up all the detractors and party poopers, we’ve decided to take a closer look at the biggest Oil & Gas story this month – just in case they missed them.
And the big news is that a rise in production and prices has boosted the value of Scotland’s North Sea oil and gas.
Official statistics show that production in Scotland increased year-on-year by 2.9% in 2016-17 to about 74.7 million tonnes of oil equivalent.
The final figure, which represented a whopping 82% of total production in the UK, is the highest since 2011-12.
What does it mean in real money? Well, after the numbers are crunched it all adds up to approximate sales value of £17.5 billion.
That’s a figure that’s 15.2% higher than in 2015-16.
In 2016-17 oil and gas fields in Scotland accounted for 96% of UK crude oil and natural gas liquids production and 63% of UK natural gas production.
The undeniable boost to the sector has prompted Scottish Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy, Paul Wheelhouse, to comment: “These figures show that confidence is continuing to return to the sector after a number of challenging years.”
It should also prompt anyone who may be looking for a new job in Oil & Gas – from crewing coordinators to drill pipe inspectors and dive technicians to banksman slingers – to feel much more confident their time to make good on career goals is now.
By the way, check any physics textbook for a scientific definition of energy and they will say it is ‘the capacity to do work’. That should tell you everything.
Let’s energise your career with a look at the current vacancies in Oil & Gas on s1jobs.com