Fracking revolution threatened by rules protecting national parks and countryside July 28, 2014 The UK government will today kick off the 14th licensing round for shale gas, yet has bowed to opponents by including fresh curbs on fracking in protected areas. The bidding round, which is the first since 2008, will in theory open up more than half of the country to shale gas developers. Yet any fracking [...]
Carillion bosses set to snap up top jobs after Balfour Beatty merger July 27, 2014 Carillion chairman Philip Green is expected to head up the £3bn construction giant that will be created from the company’s planned merger with flailing rival Balfour Beatty. Usually after a merger the top roles are divided, but Carillion’s chief executive Richard Howson is also set to take up the same role at the combined company, [...]
Skill shortage means oil and gas workers can earn £1,500 per day July 27, 2014 Oil and gas contractors can now earn more than £1,500 per day due to a global skills shortage in the sector, according to new research from tax advisors Von Essen today. Individuals who can take on critical, skilled roles at a moment’s notice – dubbed super contractors – could earn up to £1,000 per day [...]
New Premier Oil boss poaches finance chief from rival Ophir July 27, 2014 PREMIER Oil, the FTSE 250-listed energy explorer, will today announce that it has hired Richard Rose from Ophir Energy to be its finance director, just three months after rejecting a takeover bid from the rival firm. Premier’s chief executive Tony Durrant was promoted from finance director last month, leaving a vacancy. He replaced Simon Lockett [...]
Zeta Petroleum looks to London for second part of a dual listing July 27, 2014 ZETA Petroleum today becomes the latest oil and gas company to mull a London listing, as it looks to expand in Romania’s market. The company, which is already listed on Australia’s stock exchange, has stakes in three assets in Romania and sees the country as a strong platform from which to build an onshore European [...]
BP’s Iain Conn in talks to take Centrica top job July 24, 2014 CENTRICA finally confirmed yesterday that it was in talks with BP’s Iain Conn over the possibility of him taking over the top role from Sam Laidlaw. Oil major BP announced yesterday afternoon that Conn was stepping down by the end of the year after almost three decades at the company, prompting a statement from the [...]
SSE and UK Power Networks to pay £3.3m for winter power cuts July 24, 2014 ENERGY network operators SSE and UK Power Networks (UKPN) are set to pay out an extra £3.3m for power cuts during the storms last winter. SSE’s distribution arm and UKPN, which deliver energy to people’s homes across the south of England, have already paid out £4.7m, after they were found to have been the slowest [...]
GlaxoSmithKline seeks approval for world’s first malaria vaccine July 24, 2014 GLAXOSMITHKLINE yesterday said it had applied for EU approval for the world’s first malaria vaccine, although the drug would be used solely for children in Africa. The FTSE 100-listed pharmaceuticals giant, which on Wednesday cut its full-year earnings outlook due to slow US lung drug sales, said the European Medicines Agency (EMA) would evaluate the RTS,S [...]
GSK cuts profit outlook as lung drug sales slow July 23, 2014 GLAXOSMITHKLINE (GSK) cut its full-year outlook yesterday after posting a 13 per cent decline in second-quarter sales, as it struggled to maintain its position in the significant lung drug market. The FTSE 100-listed pharmaceuticals giant posted a 25 per cent slump in core operating profit to £1.4bn in the second quarter, while turnover fell 13 [...]
Kazakhmys sets out plan to split July 23, 2014 KAZAKHMYS’ share price jumped more than eight per cent yesterday, after the copper miner announced the details of a proposed restructuring to turn around the business. The FTSE 250-listed Kazakh miner will transfer some of its less profitable assets to Cuprum Holding, a private company owned by two of its shareholders. The company has been [...]
