A north-east oilfield services company has achieved official status as a carbon neutral business.
WellConnection IOS, based in Peterhead, has been certified for having balanced its carbon emissions with offsets under the internationally recognised PAS 2060 standard for carbon neutrality.
The company had to comply with a four-stage process to demonstrate its carbon neutrality, including a 10-year plan to reduce CO2 emissions by more than 50%.
Steps towards carbon neutral
Under this plan, the company intends to introduce equipment powered by hydrogen fuel-cell, and electrically-powered alternatives to diesel.
It is also exploring the use of locally generated energy by using solar and wind power when possible.
The firm, which currently employs 29 people, has also spent £30,000 on replacing an existing diesel engine compressor with a electric-powered update.
Employees are also being asked to play their part by being tasked with identifying and managing environmental risks as part of their daily operations.
Among the few
Bruce McKay, WellConnection IOS managing director, said the accreditation proves its commitment to protecting the environment and “verifies our position as one of the few genuinely carbon neutral businesses”.
He added: “The PAS 2060 standard demonstrates to our clients that we fully support their net zero ambitions and can help them work towards achieving their carbon reduction goals.”
He admitted plans to go through with the verification could have been derailed by the pandemic but the company persevered.
“Through the challenges of Covid, it would have been easy to push this to one side, but we had carried out so much work on environmental auditing and improvements and realised how important it was to complete the verification process.
The PAS 2060 standard demonstrates to our clients that we fully support their net zero ambitions and can help them work towards achieving their carbon reduction goals.”
“Our employees are all on board as we continue to take the lead in fighting climate change.
“We know this is the start of the journey to net zero and we recognise the need to continue monitoring and improving our processes to reduce emissions to a level that will eventually negate the need to offset.”
Every business needs to play its part
Developed by the British Standards Institution (BSI) and implemented in 2010, PAS 2060 presents four key stages to carbon neutrality — measurement, reduction, off-setting and documentation.
The verification audit process was carried out by the UKAS-accredited
certification body, NQA.
WellConnection IOS, which became part of the Norwegian-based WellConnection Group in 2019, was formed in 2014 and specialises in casing, tubing and drillpipe inspection and storage.
Its £5.5 million Longside base 55-acre facility is located four miles from Peterhead quayside.
Looking towards a sustainable future
Mr McKay added: “We have made great progress with our sustainability drive and will continue to push ourselves to ensure that generations to come can enjoy a more sustainable future.
“Every business has a responsibility to play its part and, as a small business, we are proud to have achieved this status which demonstrates our commitment to assisting our key customers and suppliers in their own journey to carbon neutrality.”