An engineering graduate at Simmons & Company International Limited has been recognised by the Energy Institute for her research into the transferability of services and technologies between the oil and gas industry and the offshore wind sector.

Maria Laura Martinez Zambrano, an analyst at the Aberdeen-based specialist corporate finance advisers to the energy industry, came top in the Energy Institute MSc. Student Best Energy Paper Competition.

Every year, the Aberdeen, Highlands and Islands branch of the Energy Institute awards a prize to a postgraduate student studying an energy related course at the University of Aberdeen and Robert Gordon University.

Maria Laura, who has an honours degree in Chemical and Process Engineering (M.Eng Hons) from Newcastle University, submitted her dissertation project to an industry panel consisting of chief executives and vice presidents of the leading energy companies in Aberdeen.

She presented her dissertation, entitled The Ability of Offshore Oil and Gas to Migrate to Offshore Wind, which was part of her postgraduate Degree of Master in Oil and Gas Enterprise Management (MSc. Hons) at the University of Aberdeen, to the panel before taking questions.

Her dissertation included a study of the common areas of the supply chain between oil and gas and offshore wind. From the study three areas were chosen as her main focus for the market analysis of business opportunities; namely survey vessels, cable laying vessels and foundation and turbine installation vessels.

The competition was chaired by Jeremy Cresswell, editor of the Press and Journal’s Energy supplement, and the industry panel judged the presentations on the criteria of innovation, presentation skills, enthusiasm, communication of ideas, commercial relevance, applicability, learning and technology.

The panel found the standard of entries very high and, after much deliberation, Maria Laura was selected as the overall winner.

Tags: Energy Institute