Oil to play for

Andrew HN Gray (Letters, 9 January) shows his lack of knowledge of the oil industry when he states “an unfortunate truth is that 75 per cent of Scotland’s oil remains trapped below the seabed as we don’t

have the technology to extract it.”

I write from25 years experience in the oil industry, mostly in the North Sea, including Norway and the Scottish fields. Every oil-producing area, anywhere in the world, has oilfields which are uneconomic to develop. Even in fully developed fields such as Forties or Brent there will always be 20 per cent to 30 per cent of the oil left in place (never 75 per cent) because is too difficult to extract economically.

Everyone in the industry knows that and they also know that the future for oilfields around Scotland is very bright. BP, for example, are forecasting production of billions of barrels from their Rona Ridge development over the next 40 years, and the nearby Hurricane Energy oilfields are even bigger.

Unfortunately, without independence, Scotland will not get a penny from the billions in oil revenue tax which will again be squandered by Westminster.

Never mind the oil industry. Denmarkhasalmostnoneand yet is richer and happier than Scotland because of its independent government making appropriate decisions.

JAMES DUNCAN Rattray Grove, Edinburgh