The oil and gas industry provides three quarters of the UK’s primary energy alone and globally it is responsible for more energy output than any other fuel production areas. There are many changes coming about in the oil and gas industry as a direct result of this constant demand, with new means of sourcing oil and gas being looked at every day on a global perspective. The increased demand and the limited supply of both these fuels means the oil and gas industry has many difficult challenges ahead in the next decade and beyond, making it a very interesting sector to break into.

Oil and gas jobs represent a huge part of the job market in the UK, with positions ranging from customer-facing roles in public relations to commissioning jobs and project management jobs in the global arena. Ensuring a safe supply to those countries dependent on oil and gas for their economic prosperity is a difficult challenge the oil and gas industry has to face up to with depleting supplies and more countries becoming moredependent every day. Perhaps unsurprisingly this has led to a greater number of project management jobs in smaller countries where the emphasis is on working with the people and securing their future in terms of cleaner and sustainable fuel production.

Whatever your discipline, from engineering to geology and exploration engineering, there is a position within the oil and gas industry to accommodate your skills. Most oil and gas jobs will require a basic understanding of the challenges faced by the industry today and some will form a platform for the beginnings of solutions to those problems. Becoming part of the solution to a global problem is the toughest challenge the industry has ever had to face is what makes starting a new career in the oil and gas industry appealing to many. Providing an oil and gas supply to consumers throughout the world may involve a great deal of traveling to ensure supply is reliable and clean. Depending on your role, it could also involve working in harsh environments such as drilling jobs offshore in the North Sea to supplying energy onshore to meet the high demands of the UK alone.

Each of these areas has a wealth of positions available. Having a degree in your chosen area of work within this industry will of course stand you in the best stead as so many vocational degrees involve practical training and experience. Whether you’re looking for a project engineering job or a mechanical job, a background in engineering will stand you in good stead in the oil and gas industry and give employers the confidence that you are able to meet the needs of this global sector. However, even without an engineering or related qualification, there are now many ways to enter into the oil or gas sector than ever before, and those with peoplemanagement skills are as welcome as those who have previously been involved with installation and piping jobs in unrelated industries.

Advanced technology makes it possible for the oil and gas industry to produce resources from beneath sensitive environments. The size of a drilling pad has been reduced by up to 80 percent. If Alaska’s Pruhhoe Bay oil field was opened today with current technology its footprint would be almost a third of its current size. Much less of the topography needs to be disturbed today compared to 30 years ago.

Fewer dry holes are being developed due to new seismic and remote sensing technologies resulting in less disturbance of the environment.

U.S. Petroleum production generates on average 7 to 8 barrels of water per barrel of oil. This water is called produced water and is the water that comes out of the well with the oil and gas. It can include water from the reservoir being drilled, water that has been injected into the formation and any chemicals added. Handling, treatment and disposal of this produced water have been tough challenges for oil producers for decades.

New techniques to clean the contaminants in produced water are being used and drilling fluids have become more environmentally friendly. Water quality has been improved significantly. Advanced reservoir management techniques are also being used to enhance well placement and reduce water production.

Surface ecosystems are disturbed less now because a single well can be drilled from the surface and used horizontally to find oil or gas production zones sometimes miles away. One surface area is disturbed instead of many preserving more of the ecosystem of the surface. The ability to drill horizontally for miles is very important for offshore drilling because one rig can do the work of three that had to be used previously, also creating less risk of environmental damage. The volume of drilling waste has also been reduced by 65 percent

Oil companies like, Western Pipeline Corporation, are also drilling smaller diameter holes and using new drilling techniques to cut waste, fuel consumption, noise and emissions. One technique is called Slimhole Drilling. The holes are six inches or less. Another is mico-hole coiled tubing drilling. Microelectronics is used for guidance control and evaluation of the formations. Exploratory drilling to areas 5,000 to 7,000 feet is possible with 2 inch diameter boreholes.

It takes 22,000 fewer wells per year today to develop the same amount of oil and gas reserves as it did in 1985. The vistas in areas of oil and gas production have improved tremendously as well as the whole ecosystem of the surface.