BP has said it is “absolutely following through” on its pledge to put Aberdeen at the heart of its offshore wind activities.
The energy giant previously claimed its success in the ScotWind leasing round would be worth as much as £40 million annually to the local economy and create up to 120 jobs.
Richard Haydock, the supermajor’s project director for offshore wind, has now revealed the recruitment process for an offshore wind “hub” in the north-east is well underway.
The ball is also rolling on the company’s giant Morven development in the North Sea.
Mr Haydock said: “We said in our ScotWind statement we would have our centre of excellence for offshore wind operations and maintenance in Aberdeen – we’re absolutely following through on that.
“We’re actively recruiting staff. Some of them have come across from our existing oil and gas business, while others we have recruited externally.
“It’s about having a balance; bringing in some of the really good capabilities within BP, but also getting some specialist experience… in offshore wind.”
Recruitment drive
BP plans to triple its number of offshore wind workers globally in the coming years, according to recent reports.
Deploying turbines at scale is a key pillar of the company’s quest to become an integrated energy company and decarbonise its operations.
In the UK, BP has three fixed-bottom developments on the go; Morven, Morgan and Mona, the latter two of which are in England.
But on the floating turbine side of the market, which is poised to boom, the company has yet to make real inroads.
It has made a statement of intent by kicking off a search for a new head of floating offshore wind.
Morven surveys underway
In Scotland, the company is using decades of experience in the North Sea oil and gas industry to shape future activities.
Crown Estate Scotland confirmed in January that BP and partner EnBW were among 17 ScotWind bid winners.
Morven, a 2.9 gigawatt (GW) fixed-bottom offshore wind farm, is expected to produce enough green energy for three million homes.
Work on the project, earmarked for about 37 miles off the Aberdeen coast, is well underway, and various site surveys have been carried out in recent months.
As Morven moves forward, the number of people working on the project will grow.
Mr Haydock highlighted an appetite among current BP oil and gas workers to move into offshore wind.
He added: “I moved across into offshore wind from oil and gas myself around 18 months ago.
“About half the team currently is made up of BP staff that have joined from our conventional business.”
On top of its vow to Aberdeen, BP also promised a £10 billion spending spree if it was successful in ScotWind.
The lion’s share of that is expected to come with the manufacturing and construction of Morven, expected towards the end of the decade.
Some cash has already been dished out, with BP signing a marshalling deal for Morven with Port of Leith in Edinburgh.
Forth Ports, owner of Port of Leith, is investing £50m in facilities expected to create up to 1,000 high-quality long-term direct jobs.
Mr Haydock said: “We have made a commitment to Forth Ports to support their redevelopment – that occurred about six weeks ago.
“I can’t give an exact figure because it’s contained within the commercial agreement, but it’s a significant contribution and that money will go out this year.”
BP has also signed a five-year, multimillion-pound deal with Aberdeen-based energy consultancy Xodus to provide a skill “capability accelerator”.
Mr Haydock added: “As far as the major expenditure is concerned, that is clearly going to be linked to the timeline for the project, and when we hit the manufacturing phase and construction phase.”
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