Energy

Desalination is an increasingly viable solution to providing potable water in places with limited fresh water on land but plenty of access to coastal water – almost a dictionary definition of a small island. The islands of the Caribbean are not traditionally thought of as arid but water supplies in the region are under stress as populations increase, and climate change is not helping the situation. Intense rains were reported in some Caribbean areas in 2013, but that doesn't always result in an increase in fresh water supply.

An indigenous Nigerian oil and gas exploration, development, production and distribution company with assets and interests centred on two core areas in the northwest and southeast of the Niger Delta, Seven Energy’s vision is to solidify itself as the leading supplier of gas to the domestic market for power generation and industrial consumption.

The joint venture between Babcock and US firm Fluor was chosen by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). The 14 year contract covers twelve nuclear power sites, including Hinkley, Sizewell and Dungeness, and is estimated to be worth as much as £7 billion.

NDA chief executive John Clarke said the joint venture was chosen for its "successful track record and extensive nuclear experience".

Born in 1998 following the merging of two Générale des Eaux subsidiaries, Compagnie Générale de Chauffe and Esys Montenay, it was in 2000 that Dalkia opened up its capital to the French electricity provider EDF, following an agreement between the provider and Vivendi Environmental. Representing the Energy Services Division of Veolia Environment, Dalkia is one of Europe’s leading energy companies, boasting operations in 35 countries and achieving managed revenues of €8.9 billion in 2012.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer confirmed that industry groups' lobbying for increased support to help them cope with the impact of carbon taxes and clean energy subsidy schemes on energy bills had paid off. "We need to cut our energy costs," said George Osborne. "We're going to do this by investing in new sources of energy: new nuclear power, renewables, and a shale gas revolution... But above all we are going to have a £7 billion package to cut energy bills for British manufacturers - with benefits for families and other businesses too."

Located to the east of the Dominican Republic and to the west of the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is renowned for its exotic locations, white sandy beaches, mountains, valleys and various natural splendours. Classified by the World Bank as a high income economy and as the most competitive economy in Latin America by the World Economic Forum, it also boasts the highest GDP per capita of any other nation in the Caribbean.

One of the select few oil companies in the world to operate through the length and breadth of the industry, from exploration and distribution through to the commercialization of the end products, Petroleos Mexicanos, or PEMEX as it is better known, is Mexico’s biggest enterprise, the largest taxpayer in the country and one of Latin America’s largest companies.

Aggreko was founded in the Netherlands in the early 1960s to provide temporary power generation to local companies. In 1973 it moved to the UK, establishing its headquarters at Dumbarton in Scotland, the first step in an expansion programme that has brought it to where it is today, present in 47 countries and employing around 6,000 people. The London Stock Exchange-listed company, a member of the FTSE-100 index, provides power and temperature control solutions to customers who need them either very quickly, or for a short or indeterminate length of time.

The development, which will be located in the Outer Moray Firth, will include the construction of two neighbouring projects, one headed up by Moray Offshore Renewables Limited and the other by Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Limited. The combined development will involve a total of 326 turbines, making it the world’s third biggest offshore wind farm, one capable of generating electricity for more than one million homes. It is estimated that at the peak of construction of the turbines the project could provide work for up to 4,600 people.

The growth of Colombia's oil and gas industries is attention-grabbing by any standards. As recently as 2007 the country was producing around 500 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) the first half of last year that figure topped a billion. Though there is an increasing number of outside players involved, the lion's share of this production boom has been achieved by the largely government-owned petroleum business Ecopetrol, today one of the 25 largest petroleum companies in the world.