Isla Robb has been appointed as the new offshore renewables director at ETZ Ltd. The appointment comes as ETZ Ltd looks to secure new offshore wind-related investment for the Energy Transition Zone and the wider region to deliver sustainable economic impact. Robb’s energy career spans the public and private sectors, with a strong focus on offshore wind and supply chain management. As managing director of Opergy Scotland, she led numerous initiatives to support large-scale clients, SMEs, and public sector organisations, guiding them through the challenges of energy transition. Her work in connecting local suppliers with developers through meet-the-buyer events and promoting diversity in the offshore wind industry was recognised last year when she won the prestigious Judges’ Award at Scottish Green Energy Awards 2024 and was described by the judging panel as an “inspiring force for change”. Robb said: “It is a huge privilege to be appointed director of offshore renewables at ETZ Ltd, an organisation that is at the vanguard of energy transition and efforts to secure a vibrant and prosperous future for Aberdeen and the North East of Scotland. “This region has all the ingredients for success, a pipeline of transformational projects on our doorstep alongside a world-class supply chain that can deliver them, and I’m relishing the opportunity draw upon my experience to ensure we unlock the investment required to maximise the vast potential afforded by offshore wind.” Great British Energy has added five non-executive directors to its start-up board. The new board will set a strategy for how the publicly owned company will work with the energy sector and communities to drive investment in clean energy technologies. Frances O’Grady is a member of the House of Lords and served as general secretary for the Trades Union Congress (TUC) between 2013 and 2022. Frank Mitchell is the

Blaine Miller-McFeeley is a senior legislative representative at Earthjustice and Julia Poliscanova is the senior director of vehicles & emobility supply chains at Transport & Environment. The impacts of climate change are becoming more and more impossible to ignore. Extreme heat waves, intense wildfires, and unprecedented hurricanes, storms and flooding battered both the United States and Europe over the past year, exacting a toll on human life, the environment and the global economy. Mitigating these consequences requires a quick transition to clean renewable energy that will meet global energy demands while curtailing our reliance on fossil fuels that are warming our planet. Yet, this will involve a considerable challenge that both Europe and the United States will have to face in the upcoming years: The wind turbines, solar panels and batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage rely on minerals like lithium, cobalt, nickel and others that, if not sourced or mined responsibly, can harm health, environment and cultural resources of nearby communities. Simultaneously, global mineral supply chains are often opaque, with well-documented cases of minerals tainted by forced and child labor making their way into our appliances, electronics and other technologies.  While cleaning up supply chains and dirty business practices will take time, a quicker path exists to secure a share of much-needed critical minerals to enable the rapid adoption of green technologies. We must scale up mineral recycling efforts that will reduce our demand for raw minerals and create new jobs in the green economy. But regulation in the United States is woefully behind the European Union. If policymakers want the United States to serve as a global economic leader in the energy transition and catch up to countries that have already invested in the circular economy, it can’t go on pursuing business as usual. Recent legislation passed

As businesses contend with rising bills, difficulties with recruitment and dwindling orders, 51% of Aberdeen firms project reduced profits in 2025. The last time businesses in the region projected figures like this was in 2020 when the same percentage of respondents to Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce’s (AGCC) Quarterly Economic Survey forecasted reduced profits in the fourth quarter. The north-east of Scotland is shaping up worse than the rest of the UK as 32% of UK businesses forecast a dip in profits this year. Speaking at a launch event for the report, AGCC research and insights manager Sarah McColl explained that the issues facing oil and gas firms have wider-reaching impacts than the energy market. McColl said: “It’s interesting when you look at the open-ended questions that the number of businesses that aren’t oil and gas or energy-related that do reference the issues that industry has and the compounding effect that has on all the other pressures. “Even when we look at the hospitality example, they used to rely quite heavily on the oil and gas industry to fill rooms during the week and things and that’s not the case anymore.” Optimism remained low for the year ahead as 29% of firms said that they expect turnover to get worse. Headcount at Aberdeen firms to stagnate This comes as BP (LON:BP) announced a cost cutting drive that will see the supermajor cut over 5% of its workforce as 4,700 employees are set to lose their jobs alongside 3,000 contractors. The London-listed supermajor is looking to cut costs by $2 billion (£1.64bn) as it sets out on a redundancy process that an industry analyst said would likely impact the north-east of Scotland. On Monday, oil and gas supply chain firm Hunting (LON:HTG) also announced a restructuring campaign that will impact

London-listed bank Standard Chartered and asset manager Schroders have unveiled plans to invest billions in the energy transition. Standard Chartered said it has joined forces with global private equity firm Apollo Global Management to provide $3 billion of finance. “As we navigate a world in transition, a key area where the banking sector can play a critical leadership role is in building a more resilient society,” said Standard Chartered chief executive Bill Winters in a social media post on Wednesday. “Through this partnership, we plan to contribute up to $3 billion of clean energy and transition financing across a range of asset classes and sectors.” Winters cited recent events including “the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, floods and typhoons across Southeast Asia at the end of 2024”, as the impetus for the investment, describing them as “stark reminders of the urgent need” to partner on climate action. Standard Chartered, which has invested in renewables across the Middle East and Africa and Asia, is listed on the London and Hong Kong stock exchanges and active in 52 global markets. The bank said it will contribute credit to the Apollo Clean Transition (ACT) Capital sustainable investing platform, which will provide “clean energy and transition financing across a range of asset classes and sectors”. “As per our announcement this week, our partnership with Apollo will help to support and accelerate financing for infrastructure, clean transition and renewable energy globally,” a spokesperson for the bank said in an emailed statement. Apollo, which has invested more than $40bn in ‘energy transition and climate-related’ investments, plans to finance a “wide range of clean energy and climate capital needs across credit and equities” through the strategy, according to a statement. Investment in the energy transition is only expected to rise, with the International Energy Agency estimating that

As the global energy industry navigates through complex transitions toward cleaner and more sustainable solutions, StocExpo 2025 promises to be a pivotal event in the sector. A meeting place for all energy infrastructure professionals Scheduled for March 11-12 at Rotterdam Ahoy in the Netherlands, 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of StocExpo—a landmark moment for the world’s longest-running tank storage and energy infrastructure exhibition. Since its inception in 2005, StocExpo has grown into the premier platform for professionals from across the energy infrastructure spectrum, providing a unique space for networking, learning, and showcasing cutting-edge technology. A true meeting place for all energy infrastructure professionals, StocExpo 2025 is your chance to meet and connect with others across the globe. Celebrating 20 years is no small feat for any event, and StocExpo’s two-decade journey is nothing short but impressive. From humble beginnings, it has evolved into a must-attend event, attracting key players from over 70 countries, including industry giants like Vopak, BP, Shell, VTTI and Advario. With more than 3500 attendees, 150 exhibitors, and a broad international presence, the 2025 edition is set to be its most significant yet. © Supplied by StocExpo 2025StocExpo 2025 is this year’s must-attend event for professionals across the energy infrastructure industry. This year, StocExpo will feature two conference streams across two days, packed with unmissable content for the tank storage and future fuels community: the FETSA Tank Storage Conference (in partnership with FETSA) and for the first time ever, the Clean Ammonia Storage Conference (in partnership with NH3). Stay up to date with the latest future fuel regulations and meet partners you need to develop your business in this rapidly growing market by attending StocExpo 2025. FETSA Tank Storage Conference Organised in partnership with the Federation of European Tank Storage Associations (FETSA), this conference will delve into

BP confirmed thousands of job cuts in a statement sent to Rigzone on Friday. “Last year, we began a multi-year program to simplify and focus BP,” the statement noted. “We are strengthening our competitiveness and building in resilience as we lower our costs, drive performance improvement, and play to our distinctive capabilities,” it added.  “To deliver this, a series of programs are in place in businesses throughout BP. Today, we have … told staff across BP that the proposed changes that have been announced to date are expected to impact around 4,700 BP roles – these account for much of the anticipated reduction this year,” it continued. “We are also reducing our contractor numbers by 3,000,” the statement went on to note. In an all staff email from BP CEO Muray Auchincloss, which was sent to Rigzone by BP, Auchincloss highlighted the job cuts and revealed that 2,600 contractors had already left. “I understand and recognize the uncertainty this brings for everyone whose job may be at risk, and also the effect it can have on colleagues and teams,” Auchincloss noted in the email. “We have a range of support available, and please continue to show care for each other, be considerate, and keep putting safety first – especially during times of change,” he added. “Thank you for your honesty in the calls and conversations you’ve been having with your leaders. As I’ve said before, we are a brilliant company with great people, great businesses, and great assets – and we are uniquely positioned to grow value through the energy transition,” he continued. “But that doesn’t give us an automatic right to win. We have to keep improving our competitiveness and moving at the pace of our customers and society. That’s what we are doing,” the BP CEO went on to