An offshore drilling simulator at the Energy Transition Institute in Aberdeen.
Photographer: Margaret Mitchell for Bloomberg
Reviving UK Oil Is Now a Political Issue, But Is There Any Left?
The North Sea basin was once a significant source of revenue for Britain. Today, it’s in terminal decline.
Aberdeen, with its windswept views of the North Sea, has for decades carried the title of Europe’s oil capital. After vast offshore reserves were discovered in the 1970s, the Scottish city transformed from a modest fishing port into a booming economy with one of the UK’s highest concentration of millionaires.
For Paul de Leeuw, an engineer who first came to Aberdeen more than three decades ago, tapping the North Sea’s wells rivaled the complexity of putting a person on the moon. “I wanted to be part of that journey,” he said, recalling his work for companies including BP Plc and Shell Plc. “Aberdeen was a thriving hub.”