Rig off Kirkcaldy..

Parked close to where I live is this rig. Secure in the relatively calm waters of the Firth of Forth, it is a reminder of one of the great industries of Scotland: Oil and Gas.

Scotland has the vast bulk of the UK's offshore oil and gas reserves, which are estimated to have a wholesale value of £1.5 trillion. Record investment in 2013 points to a bright and lengthy future for oil and gas production in Scotland.

As well as the substantial reserves in the North Sea, there are now major developments taking place to the west of Scotland, especially west of Shetland. Scotland is estimated to have the largest conventional oil reserves in the EU - around 60 per cent of the EU total. Scotland is also estimated to have the second largest volume of proven gas reserves in the EU after the Netherlands.

Sadly, too many people have died while working in the Oil industry off Scotland's shore. Let us hope as we face many years of development yet to come, that the days of such sacrifice are over.