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You'll never guess what I'm going to do. I'll take to the sky.
I'm going offshore in a helicopter.
From Den Helder, lots of people fly out to the 170 North Sea platforms daily.
Commuting by chopper. Cool or what?
The Netherlands has 250 gas fields, both on land and offshore.
This industry employs some 17,000 people...
working for either oil and gas companies or their suppliers.
I'm still waiting to board, but look at all those vacancies.
Recession or not, they need a geologist, a mechanical engineer...
an operator and an environment specialist.
It's a bustling industry, with lots of innovation going on.
After all, we need cleaner, smarter and energy-efficient technology...
to extract our natural gas.
Innovation is key in this industry, also for suppliers and contractors.
A case in point is Schoonebeek oil field, which was decommissioned in the 90s.
Today, thanks to innovation, it's fully operational again.
Another example is De Wijk gas field. After 60 years it was to be closed...
but now it's good for another 20 years. A worldwide first, so innovation is key.
As a result, NAM and other oil and gas companies are seeking collaboration.
At Drenthe College, together with businesses and Emmen town council...
we're offering a training to become an all round operation engineer.
It prepares people to come work for our company as an operator...
for operating, servicing and maintaining installations.
They need to have the proper skills while bringing the level of creativity...
to help us do things smarter, simpler and more efficient.
Staff need to meet ever increasing demands.
This trend will continue, to secure cost-efficient production for the future.
It's a 45-minute flight to the platform, I am told.
It has 40 staff, but there also unmanned platforms, or some that have 80 staff.
These are no 9 to 5 jobs. People work hard, putting in long hours...
with a one-week leave after two weeks.
It's a tough job for professionals, but one that earns good money.
Quite a challenge, safely producing natural gas offshore, in all weathers.
This means close monitoring of the production process, 24/7.
The landing officer safely guides the chopper with its new shift to the platform.
Safety drills are performed on a weekly basis.
A drilling platform is almost like a village, with a restaurant...
sleeping quarters and plenty of opportunity to unwind.
Obviously, not all jobs are offshore. Many locations are on land...
with an extensive infrastructure that includes 3000 km of pipelines.
Then there are installations to process gas for home use...
and even underground gas storages for severe winters.
Near Alkmaar, the Bergermeer project is underway...
Europe's largest underground gas storage. Costs: 850 million euros.
Total investment, including projected gas pipelines and gas storage value...
runs to 3 billion euros.
The entire project involves 3600 man years worth of work...
over a 2.5 year period. Currently we have over a 1000 people working here.
For the long term, 100 to 150 operators, engineers and commercial staff...
are expected to manage gas storage in the Netherlands.
We need new people in just about every field...
and over the last few years we've hired some 70 staff each year.
We'll need sub-surface personnel, maintenance engineers...
but also commercial staff, dispatchers, just about any job title you can imagine.
If you're into technology and you like to build things...
checking out our site will definitely win you over for the oil and gas industry.
I'm working with oil and gas, including the Bergermeer gas storage...
which is an innovative project, but for oil and gas extraction...
you'll also need innovative technology to get the last drop out...
and to exploit fields in the proper way, which we are working on daily.
Formerly I worked on earth heat, which also requires innovative processes.
The energy issue may well be the most important issue in the next 50 years.
With so many people on our planet and our dependence on energy supplies...
a switch to more sustainable energy sources has become inevitable.
Until that time, we'll need gas and oil. We cannot stop production overnight...
until there's a solid alternative, so we've got our work cut out for us.
Don't laugh, but this is a survival suit. You need to wear it offshore, for safety.
It's all about safety in the oil and gas industry. It's the number one priority.
And that means lots of procedures and drills.
What to do when you fall into the sea. That's what safety training is for.
Right, we're ready to go. That's all for now. Goodbye.