Stephen Curley is the lead engineer for Mariner operations at Equinor. He has a Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh and more than ten years’ experience in the energy industry.
“My advice for people looking to join the sector is to keep an open mind. I know that people who are new to energy often want to work in wind, low carbon solutions, and hydrogen. However, I think there is still so much that can be done within the oil and gas industry to ensure that we’re producing fossil fuels with the lowest emissions possible.”
I was raised in Stonehaven, close to Aberdeen. Growing up in north-east of Scotland, the oil and gas industry was always prevalent and seemed like an appealing sector to work in. In school I was interested in STEM subjects, particularly chemistry; and after school decided to go to university where I studied a Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh.
I’ve been lucky to work across many different departments during my career. I’ve worked both onshore and offshore in subsurface, drilling and wells, and operations. After I graduated, I completed a graduate scheme in Petroleum Engineering with Talisman Energy, which later became Repsol, in Aberdeen.
I joined Equinor’s subsurface team in 2018 as a production engineer, and for the past four years I have worked within the operations department for the Mariner field. I currently lead the Energy and Production Optimisation Group (EPOG) for the field. My role can be very varied on a day-to-day basis but it’s very interesting and challenging.
The Mariner project is the most exciting and challenging project I’ve worked on. I joined prior to the field start-up, and I have now been involved in almost five years of production. I’m very proud of the ways in which we constantly improve our tools and processes to optimize production and energy emissions.
The main difference between when I first joined the energy sector and now, is the increased focus on managing emissions from both energy consumption and production. I think our industry is set up to help shape the energy transition as there are so many people with the skills required to develop the energy mix of the future. Equinor is a great example of this in the UK, with a very varied portfolio covering oil and gas, wind, low carbon solutions, and hydrogen.
I don’t think there’s ever been a more exciting time to work in the energy industry. The past few years have seen it change significantly and it’s an exciting time to be able to influence the future of energy.
My advice for people looking to join the sector is to keep an open mind. I know that people who are new to energy often want to work in wind, low carbon solutions, and hydrogen. However, I think there is still so much that can be done within the oil and gas industry to ensure that we’re producing fossil fuels with the lowest emissions possible. It can at times be seen as an underrated area in the journey to net zero as we will still require oil and gas in the upcoming decades as part of the energy transition. Further to that, there is so much experience in the industry and I recommend learning from the people you work with and using that knowledge to inform your decisions.
For more information on Equinor visit: Equinor: energising the world, empowering people.
Share this article
