The UK oil and gas industry has served our country for over 100 years. It delivers the energy needed to fuel and power our economy, provides vital revenue for the UK Treasury and supports about 450,000 jobs in Britain.
The oil and gas industry has an impressive history, something which will be brought to the fore this year, as SPE ƶijϻ Europe celebrates its 40th anniversary. However, we also know that there is no room for standing still.
This year at SPE ƶijϻ Europe 2013, we will be looking forward and debating how we can do that in order to extend the future of the UK offshore oil and gas industry.
We also have to dedicate ourselves to continuous improvement in all we do. This is particularly important now in the field of safety, where the recent tragic events in the UK have reminded us of the impact this can have.
No doubt, like many of you attending the exhibition and conference here in the energy capital of Europe, I’m looking forward to catching up with old friends.
But, I’d also urge you to make contact with just some of the thousands of people who join our industry every year.
The Next 50 Years is exactly the right theme for ƶijϻ Europe in 2013. I hope you will find things here to inspire and challenge you and help you to develop the ideas and developments which will shape our industry in the decades yet to come.
Image: Malcolm Webb, chairman of SPE ƶijϻ Europe, and chief executive of Oil & Gas UK.
