Member Article

NOF Energy Survey: Oil & Gas Remains Priority

NOF Energy, the business development organisation for oil, gas, nuclear and offshore renewables sectors, has revealed that the oil & gas market will remain the dominant priority sector for its members in 2013.

NOF Energy’s Annual Survey charts it’s the activities of its 420 UK and international members and their opinions of the organisation’s business development services.

According to the survey, 78 percent of members say that oil & gas will be their main priority in 2013.

In comparison, offshore renewables will be a high priority for 36 percent of members while nuclear will be a high priority for 32 percent of members.

NOF Energy works closely with its members to provide industry intelligence, market knowledge and networking opportunities that can lead to new business. In 2012, NOF Energy has provided business development support for more than 70 percent of its membership.

In the past, a significant amount of new business has been generated for members and companies are encouraged to utilise networking opportunities to forge essential business relationships.

The annual survey also tracks NOF Energy members’ export activities and highlights the top international markets served by supply chain companies. The United States, which has overtaken Norway as the top export market and third placed Brazil remain in the top five as is traditionally the case. However, new to the top five export markets are The Netherlands and Australia.

Other markets that have moved up the rankings and provided opportunities for members over the past 12 months include India, Venezuela, Kazakhstan and South Africa.

Australia appears to be one of the biggest growth markets for NOF Energy members and tops the list of future export markets.

In the 2011 survey, Australia was outside the top 10 of future export markets, however, developments in Australia, mainly in the LNG and Gas arenas, coupled with growing links between NOF Energy and the country’s supply chain has led to an increased focus on the country.

Part of this interest was fuelled by the recent NOF Energy visit to Perth, Western Australia, which featured a substantial delegation of UK firms keen to access the growing market. Another visit is planned for 2013.

Alongside the USA and Norway, Brazil remain a priority market for NOF Energy members as the country progresses with an incredible number of new oil & gas projects and actively seeks UK expertise to help it move forward. Asian markets being pursued by NOF Energy members include Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Vietnam.

NOF Energy’s annual survey also highlighted the challenges facing its membership. According to around a third of NOF Energy members, the biggest challenge they face is recruiting qualified personnel with the right skills.

According to industry research by sector skills body SEMTA, industry will require more than 20,000 new personnel in the next four years to address issues such as an aging workforce and the emergence of new energy sectors.

NOF Energy is aiming to play a part in alleviating this issue with its recently-launched service, Military2Energy, which taps into the extensive number of ex-forces personnel who have skills and competencies transferable to the energy sector.

George Rafferty, Chief Executive of NOF Energy, said: “Oil & gas will continue to hold much potential for the supply chain for several decades and, as a result of our activities, our members are fully aware of the opportunities available both in the UK and around the world.

“The Government’s Energy Bill will begin to create some stability across the entire industry, which will see the offshore renewables and new nuclear sectors gain some momentum. Our survey shows, even though these new sectors will not form the majority of the work of our members, they are geared up, and have the ability to serve these emerging segments of the energy industry.”

“Exports also remain a key priority for our members and the multiple and diverse markets they are successfully serving demonstrate the high regard in which UK skills, products and services are held by the global energy industry. It is also positive to see that NOF Energy members, with our support are continuing to target new and emerging markets that will benefit from the innovative and expert approach taken by the UK supply chain.”

George added: “While there is optimism about the growing opportunities in the energy sector there is the very real challenge of meeting the skills requirements of the industry. Many are investing in apprenticeships for the long-term, but in the near future employers need to look outside their sectors to find suitable candidates. This is why we have introduced Military2Energy, which will help companies take advantage of the thousands of military personnel leaving the armed forces that have transferable skills and competencies that can be honed for careers in the energy sector.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Recognition PR Business Team .