This week, there was yet more news of troubled Scottish wind projects as West of Orkney "paused" as it lambasted transmission charges, as we play our full conversation with Kemi Badenoch and True North talk us through its latest polling.

This week’s episode features Energy Voice’s Ryan Duff and Michael Behr, and Mat Perry in our opening discussion and news editor Erikka Askeland join in at the end to talk with Energy Voice Out Loud familiar voice Allister Thomas.

Up first, Michael talks us through why the front-runner ScotWind project, West of Orkney, hit the bricks this week as it bemoaned transmission charges after missing out on a contract for difference in Allocation Round 7. What does this mean for the future of offshore wind in Scotland? Our trio of journalists discuss.

Next, Ryan caught up with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and shadow minister for energy security and net zero, Andrew Bowie, about energy bills and what the opposition would have done differently with AR7.

Finally, Erikka spoke with True North's Allister Thomas about a recent poll of unprecedented scale asking people across the North of Scotland what they really think of the march of energy infrastructure and the answers might surprise you.

We discuss the winners of Allocation Round 7, as well as Viaro's southern North Sea snub and Petrofac's UK business buy out.

This week’s episode features Energy Voice’s Ryan Duff, Floyd March, Mat Perry and Erikka Askeland as they give their two cents on the week’s headlines.

First up, Mat gets us up to speed on the winners of AR7 as he argues that the government deserves a pat on the back. Although, Erikka fights for ScotWind project support as not one of the 12 successful bids came from a project that received a a licence under Holyrood's 2022 leasing round.

Next, Floyd talks us through the situation at Viaro as Francesco Mazzagatti's firm was told Shell and Exxon had backed out of a deal announced 18 months ago to sell southern North Sea gas assets. The North Sea Transition Authority has been keeping a close eye on Viaro in recent months having demanded additional information from the operator for this deal and its attempted takeover of rival Deltic.

Finally, Ryan gets us caught up on Petrofac's North Sea business after it announced it would be selling its Asset Solutions division to a US firm on Christmas Eve. The services firm that slipped into administration last year is now set to hold a meeting with its creditors to approve the takeover, which is set to save 3,000 jobs.

The first weekly episode of Energy Voice Out Loud in 2026 starts with the big news of the week. E-FWD editor Ed Reed and Energy Voice news editor Erikka Askeland dissect the outlook for industry as President Trump seizes control of Venezuela’s oil industry

Renewables reporter Micheal Behr takes a view on where the wind blows as the UK delays a decision on RWE and Masdar’s plan for a 3GW wind farm on Dogger Bank. What does it mean for sector finances ahead of the government’s imminent allocation round 7?

Finally, North correspondent Floyd March discusses the announcement that Phillips 66 has taken control of the Lindsay refinery on the Humber. The deal looks good for the US refinery giant but not so great for 250 workers at the site, formerly owned by disgraced firm Prax, who only have jobs until the end of March.