IN the depths of the North Sea lies a wealth of untapped potential.

Sep 23 2008 by Karen McLauchlan, Evening Gazette

And the Tees Valley’s once-again booming oil and gas sector could be in line to win big as the search for energy supplies sees companies dig ever deeper and in increasingly hostile environments.

NOF Energy, the business development organisation for the oil, gas and energy sectors, believes local companies have only just scratched the surface of the burgeoning sub-sea sector’s potential.

With recent estimates calculating the North Sea oil reserves total more than 50 billion barrels, there are massive gains to be made.

Today JEZ DAVISON takes a closer look at the sub-sea sector, meeting companies looking to capitalise on this key market and examining the technology needed to strike rich with black gold.

See special report - Pages 2 and 3