New Energy World™
New Energy World™ embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low-carbon technologies.
Dinner dances then and now: a history of Energy Institute communities in the UK energy city
7/1/2026
10 min read
Feature
Aberdeen, the UK’s energy city, was the home of the first Energy Institute Young Professional Network (EI YPN) and continues to house an EI community. Past chairs looking back over five decades of gathering together energy professionals told their stories to New Energy World Senior Editor Will Dalrymple MEI.
The Energy Institute currently boasts nearly 20 communities and young professional networks across the UK and in south-east Asia (Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia), the Middle East (Abu Dhabi) and Africa (Lagos, Nigeria). These groups add an extra dimension to membership by bringing together passionate energy professionals in local areas in person to hear talks, take excursions and network.
Aberdeen, Highlands & Islands YPN is the northernmost community. It was originally established in 1972 under the auspices of the Institute of Petroleum, which merged with the Institute of Energy to create the Energy Institute in the early 2000s.
That year’s Annual Report & Accounts read: ‘Aberdeen, a focal point of the oil industry’s search for oil and gas in the North Sea, now has a vigorous IP Branch with over 100 members, all full individual members of the Institute.’ The account went on to name inaugural year achievements including a symposium attracting 170 delegates and joint meetings with the Scottish branch of the Institution of Heating Engineers and the Aberdeen Group of the Institute of Marketing.