ScottishPower Energy Networks (SPEN), Iberdrola’s distribution company in the United Kingdom, will invest more than EUR 262 million ($298.8 million) in the modernization of the United Kingdom’s electricity grid. SPEN said in a media release that six partners will continue working on the maintenance and upgrade of more than 20,000 kilometers (12,400 miles) of overhead lines across the network over the next four years. SPEN partners include Scottland-based Aureos, Gaeltec, and PLPC, which will support the six license districts in central and southern Scotland (Ayrshire and Clyde South, Central and Fife, Dumfries and Galloway, Edinburgh and Borders, Glasgow and Clyde North, Lanarkshire). The company said it is also partnering with Emerald Power, IES, and Network Plus, which will support the license districts in Mid-Cheshire, Merseyside, Dee Valley and Mid Wales, Wirral and North Wales. “Ensuring we have the partners, resources, and technical skills in place to deliver on our bold and ambitious plans for our network is vital for the modern and resilient grid needed to support the doubling of demand”, Nicola Connelly, SPEN CEO, said. “These contracts not only support significant investment in our overhead line network, they allow us to build on the solid foundations created with our supply chain partners and give certainty and confidence to further invest in their skills and people.  It’s a win-win on both sides and we look forward to working together to make a long and lasting difference for all our communities – from Anstruther to Anglesey”. The contracts will support over 500 jobs – including more than 50 new linesmen roles – nationwide, with companies based in and around ScottishPower’s Scotland and Manweb license areas. “This is an extremely significant milestone for Emerald Power and provides the opportunity to further invest in our business – recruiting, training, and upskilling the resources needed to deliver

Fennex Ltd. has bagged a multi-year deal from EnQuest plc to deploy the flagship AI-powered Behaviour-Based Safety System (BBSS) across EnQuest’s UK operations.   EnQuest oversees a varied portfolio of offshore assets in the North Sea, which includes Thistle, Heather, Magnus, and the Kraken FPSO, along with the Sullom Voe Terminal located onshore Shetland, recognized as one of the largest oil terminals in Europe, Fennex noted in a media release. Fennex added that the BBSS is already live across all of EnQuest’s UK offshore assets and the Sullom Voe Terminal. This rapid deployment was achieved in just eight weeks. “BBSS is now deployed across all EnQuest’s UK-operated offshore assets, and for the first time at a major onshore terminal”, Adrian Brown, Managing Director at Fennex, said. “EnQuest was eager to roll out the platform quickly, and thanks to strong collaboration, we were able to go live both offshore and onshore in record time”. “We identified BBSS as an opportunity to make a step change in operational safety through making it easier and more user-friendly for personnel to participate and allowing us to make more effective use of the resulting leading data. It provides full visibility of engagement in our safety reporting and real-time data, giving us immediate insight into reported issues and the ability to act swiftly for the best outcomes in our operations”, EnQuest’s Director of HSE and Wells, Ian McKimmie, added. As the collaboration progresses, Fennex and EnQuest are working together to reveal even more value – leveraging advanced analytics, behavioral insights, and AI-driven predictive safety tools to foster a culture of proactive, intelligence-led safety, Fennex said. To contact the author, email [email protected] WHAT DO YOU THINK? Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to

Canada’s oil sands industry reduced its emissions per barrel for the sixth straight year in 2023, even as one growing portion of the sector moved in the opposite direction, according to new Alberta government data released Thursday. The emissions intensity of all oil sands sites fell to the equivalent of 0.399 metric tons of carbon dioxide per cubic meter of bitumen produced, down from 0.404 in 2022, the data show. The gain reflects improvements at oil sands mines, where bitumen is dug from the ground. However, in situ oil sands, which use wells similar to traditional oil producers, saw emissions per barrel rise.  Even with the efficiency improvement, total emissions rose to the equivalent 80.1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, up from 78.8 million in 2022, the data show. That’s the highest in data back to 2011. The oil sands’ declining energy intensity — to the lowest in data stretching back to 2011 — is welcome news for an industry that has struggled with a reputation for being climate unfriendly, prompting some investors to shun it altogether. However, the rising emissions intensity at well sites presents a challenge for the sector, as the method’s lower costs make it increasingly popular among producers. While the average intensity of oil sands producers is higher than the average for the global oil industry overall, drillers ‘emissions profiles vary widely around the world, said Kevin Birn, chief analyst for Canadian oil markets for S&P Global. The oil sands “fits well within the range of carbon intensity of oil and gas we see in the world,” Birn said in an interview. All of the oil sands mines reduced their emissions intensity with Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.’s Horizon making the biggest gain for the year.  In situ production facilities, which include the more than 250,000 barrel-a-day Suncor

In Case You Missed It— U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright traveled to Alaska earlier this week, where he joined U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin to advance President Trump’s bold agenda to unleash Alaska’s extraordinary resource potential. In Anchorage and on the North Slope, Secretary Wright met with state, local and tribal leaders as well as Alaskan energy workers, held bilateral meetings with foreign energy ministers to advance American energy projects like Alaska LNG, and participated in a keynote fireside chat at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference. “I was proud to join my colleagues, Doug Burgum and Lee Zeldin, in Alaska to help fulfill President Trump’s mission of unleashing Alaska to create a safe, prosperous, and opportunity-filled future,” said Secretary Wright. “Alaska has always been a big bold place, a big bold idea, full of big bold people. Unfortunately, the last administration especially and many before them sought to shut down Alaska in the name of climate nonsense. Those days are over. The Trump Administration is fully committed to restoring the rights and liberties of Alaskans, because when Alaska is unleashed, the entire country and world benefits.” Click here to watch a highlight video of the trip and here to download and view photos from the visit. Roundtable in Anchorage On Sunday, Secretaries Wright and Burgum and Administrator Zeldin joined Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) for a roundtable discussion in Anchorage with leaders from across Alaska’s resource development industry. WATCH: Alaska Resources Roundtable with Secretary Burgum, Secretary Wright and Administrator Zeldin Town hall in Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska The delegation then traveled to the capital of Alaska’s North Slope Borough, Utqiagvik, Alaska, for a town hall with the predominantly Alaska-Native community. The cabinet members heard

Kenya lawmakers said a lack of detail over Tullow Oil Plc’s sale of oil assets to local company Gulf Energy “raises concerns” for the industry in the East African nation. Tullow ended a decade-long quest to develop discoveries in April, when it sold the inland fields for $120 million to Gulf Energy, a Nairobi-based oil and gas trader. Tullow has announced divestments in recent months toward reducing its debt below $1 billion this year. The deal for the assets has included few details, “which raises concerns about the continuity, governance, and strategic direction of the country’s nascent oil industry,” the national assembly energy committee said in a report tabled on Wednesday.  “There is limited information regarding the terms of the exit, the implications of the transaction on Kenya’s commercial oil prospects, and its potential impact on the completion and timely approval of the Field Development Plan,” it said. Gulf Energy is an oil supplier, electricity generator and infrastructure developer, according to its website. It didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment. The sale of working interests in Kenya to Gulf Energy “continues to progress well,” a Tullow spokesperson said in a reply to questions. “We have a high level of confidence in it completing with the receipt of the first two payments totaling $80 million expected during 2025.” Passage of the development plan, which is still pending, became one of the obstacles Tullow faced with the project. Partners TotalEnergies SE and Africa Oil Corp. exited the joint venture in 2023 and the company failed to find a strategic partner to replace them.      The payment profile of the Gulf Energy deal “isn’t too demanding,” though it’s unclear who is backing the company, said Ashley Kelty, an analyst at Panmure Liberum. WHAT DO YOU THINK? Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect

Oil rose as stronger-than-expected US jobs data eased concerns about an economic slowdown that would crimp demand, spurring algorithmic traders to reduce short positions.  West Texas Intermediate climbed almost 2% to settle above $64 a barrel, notching the largest weekly gain since November. Crude followed equities higher after US job growth in May narrowly surpassed economist forecasts, allaying concerns of near-term demand deterioration. The figures also pushed economy-sensitive diesel futures to a two-week high.  “Trading is relatively quiet today, with macroeconomic factors continuing to drive the narrative,” said Rebecca Babin, a senior energy trader at CIBC Private Wealth Group. “The unemployment data is easing concerns that demand will sharply decline due to tariff uncertainty.” The positive economic data spurred commodity trading advisers to ease off of their bearish tilt. The funds, which can accelerate price momentum, liquidated short positions to sit at negative 9% short in WTI on Friday, compared with 64% short on June 5, according to data from Bridgeton Research Group. The rally was supported by enduring risk-on sentiment from optimistic signs on trade talks between the US and China, the world’s largest importer of crude. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, agreed to further negotiations over tariffs and supplies of rare earth minerals. The positive signals come against the backdrop of an oil market that has been increasingly rangebound in recent weeks. Prices have traded in a $5 band since the middle of May, and a gauge of volatility for US crude futures is at the lowest since early April.  Oil has been buffeted in Trump’s second term as trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies menace demand. At the same time, the OPEC+ alliance has been adding barrels back to the market at a faster-than-expected rate, further clouding an already weak outlook for the second half