The final session of Oil & Gas UK’s Annual Conference, in Aberdeen on 17 and 18 June 2015, will be led by the Leader of Aberdeen City Council, Jenny Laing.
The session will include an outline of the Aberdeen City Region Deal, leading into a debate on the broad themes highlighted in the City Region document with a panel of industry specialists.
The innovative format will ensure that those attending the second annual conference will have the opportunity to have their say on the concepts suggested in the City Region Deal – considering the impact on the region and the offshore oil and gas sector specifically though a digital voting system, and, crucially, making their collective voice heard on how each element should be funded.
Stephen Marcos Jones, Oil & Gas UK’s business development director, commented: “We’re looking forward to what we hope will be an informative and engaging final session to our event programme.
“This is a national industry with a national jobs footprint, but few would argue against the perception that it has its heart in Aberdeen.
“However, our members have told us that Aberdeen does not have the road, rail and air services it needs to maintain its position as Europe’s oil and gas capital. They are clear that there must be more innovation if the region is to keep up with its global competitors, from Stavanger to Singapore.
“We applaud both councils for pursuing a City Region Deal – and look forward to a robust and lively discussion after the voting. This is a chance for delegates at the Oil & Gas UK conference to have their say about infrastructure improvements in an important oil and gas hub for the North Sea.”
Aberdeen City Council Leader Councillor Jenny Laing said:
“Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils have taken the lead in bringing all tiers of Government together to develop the City Region Deal for the benefit not only of this region but of the whole country.
“Securing the Deal will be the catalyst to create the roads, the homes, the jobs, the skills development and the digital connectivity that we need. It will pump in 20 years’ worth of investment, amounting to almost £3billion, which will anchor the oil and gas industry in the North-east for the next 50 years or more.
“The city, the surrounding area and the oil and gas industry itself still have huge potential which needs to be realised. Improvements to our infrastructure are long overdue – and the two local authorities, the Scottish and UK Governments, the businesses world and academia are unanimous that the City Region Deal is the mechanism to unlock that potential.”
A panel of experts will react live to a series of delegate votes looking at the City Region Deal priority areas of innovation, internationalisation and skills and taking some questions from the floor, the session will be chaired by Oil & Gas UK’s chief executive, Deirdre Michie.
Under the theme of Maximising Economic Recovery from the UK Continental Shelf, the conference is titled: ‘MER UK: The Next 40 Years’ the two day event sponsored principally by EY, alongside ABB Limited and Stellar Energy Advisors, will aim to highlight, define and debate the critically important issues facing upstream petroleum exploration and development on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS), 40 years on from first oil production.
Stephen Marcos Jones concluded:
“In recognition of the cost and efficiency pressures on this sector, we’ve endeavoured to put on an event which delivers real value for our delegates. We hope that this focus on our home city Aberdeen will not only be of interest to those attending the event, but will underscore the importance of vibrant oil and gas industry to the city of Aberdeen and the surrounding county, which in turn empower hubs throughout the UK.”