Join Energy Voice News Editor Erikka Askeland who speaks to two high profile energy industry business leaders for International Women’s Day. We speak to Nicola Welsh, UK Country Director at geo-data specialist Fugro alongsideLinda Stewart, Director Marine Geophysical Europe, also at Fugro. Tune in to hear Nicola discuss her route from mining camps in the Australian outback to a senior leadership role while Linda charts her 19-year career journey to become Fugro’s first female director in her role in Scotland. There’s serious discussion about leaning in, the “double bind” and what the IWD 2025 call to “accelerate action” really means. This special podcast also serves and the opening of Energy Voice’s highly anticipated Women in New Energy Event which takes place in Aberdeen in June. Recommended for you Celebrating International Women’s Day with Axis Network’s Emma Behjat

Repsol has blamed UK government tax “policies and adverse economic conditions” as it as confirmed plans to cut jobs in its North Sea operations. The Spanish energy firm said 21 in-house roles could be cut although it did not confirm how many jobs would have to go as it announced its “new and more efficient operating model”. However all of the operator’s 1,000 North Sea staff and contractor roles will be up for review, with Petrofac and Altrad the firm’s biggest employers. Many firms are citing the general market and UK fiscal policies for the cuts. This week North Sea decommissioning firm Well-Safe Solutions announced plans to cut dozens of jobs on shore as well as on its vessel, the Well-Safe Guardian. The firm which has invested tens of millions in repurposing drilling rigs into units that can remove subsea oil and gas infrastructure, said the cuts were due to a business down turn which was a “knock-on effects” of the windfall tax. “Repsol UK has undertaken a review of its operations at our offshore sites, which will result in a new and more efficient operating model.  The health and safety of our people and delivery of safe operations remain our priority. “We remain committed to thrive in the UK North Sea basin, but the UK government’s policies and adverse economic conditions make these changes necessary. “There will be organisational changes, and we are in dialogue with the affected employees and will seek to redeploy where possible.” More to follow. Recommended for you SeAH Wind brings in three contractors for Hornsea 3 work

BP Plc Chief Executive Officer Murray Auchincloss’ total compensation dropped to £5.36 million ($6.91 million) in 2024, about 30% less than the previous year, after the energy giant’s profits disappointed. The London-based company’s 2024 earnings results reported in February showed a steep drop in profits compared with the previous year. That set the stage for a subsequent strategic switch back to oil and gas after years of shifting away from fossil fuels, as it strives to catch up with rivals such as Shell Plc which were quicker to pivot back to core businesses. While Auchincloss saw his base salary rise to £1.45 million from £1.02 million, his share awards dropped to £2.75 million from £4.36 million, according to the annual report published on Thursday. His annual bonus was sharply reduced in his first full year as boss. Auchincloss is in the middle of a roadshow meeting with investors in London in the hope of enlisting support for the company’s new direction. Activist investor Elliott Investment Management, which had bought about 5% of the oil major, is ramping up pressure on the company’s management after the new strategy fell short of its expectations. BP’s shares have declined about 6% since the strategy announcement on Feb. 26.  BP chair Helge Lund is looking for new board members who can bring skills and experience that align with the company’s revised oil and gas-focused strategy, he said in the annual report. The board is particularly keen to recruit an oil and gas expert, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified because the information is private. Grafton Group Chair Ian Tyler was appointed to BP’s board to lead the remuneration committee, the company said Thursday. Tyler is also a director at Anglo American Plc. BP’s previous strategy, unveiled in 2020, focused on shifting away from oil

Nexos bosses discussed how they have seen “less people applying” for apprenticeships in recent years at a Scottish Apprenticeships Week event. The Aberdeen-based engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firm, formerly known as Global E&C, welcomed local skills and training organisations as well as a local MSP to its harbour-side facility in the Granite City to mark the weeklong celebration of trainees. Graeme Gray, fabrication director for Nexos, said: “Going back 10 years, if you advertised an apprentice position you would be in the hundreds of applicants, I think when these recent guys came on the programme there were no more than 50 to 60 applicants.” He added that his current batch of apprentices “are great” and that “there’s no talking away from the quality” of their work; however, “there are just less people applying”. This supports recent reports from the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB), which found that 71% of employers in the engineering construction industry have recruitment challenges of late. On the oil and gas sector specifically, the trade body said that it is “unlikely” that oil and gas will be able to replace its aging workforce with younger employees, according to current trends. Nexos employs between 10 and 12 apprentices each year and the firm’s managing director for offshore, Derek Mitchell, described them as “the people who will be driving our future”. ‘Immense’ job market pressures However, oil and gas is not the only sector experiencing these challenges, as MSP for Aberdeen Central Kevin Stewart MSP pointed out while visiting the Nexos facility. Stewart commented: “The pressure in the job market is so immense.” He said that the industry’s engagement with young people is left “too late” and that employers need to be speaking to younger children about opportunities out with university. “I think we should be

Ross Provan has been appointed as head of decommissioning solutions at Aberdeenshire firm Elemental Energies. Provan brings 18 years of projects and operational experience working with major global operators and contractors, with expertise spanning drilling, facilities engineering, subsea, project assurance, construction and decommissioning. In his new role, he will lead Elemental Energies’ focus on EPRD (engineering, preparation, removal and disposal) and the integration of services, including the existing wells decommissioning capabilities, across all areas of the decommissioning work breakdown structure (WBS). Elemental Energies has specialist teams across subsurface, wells and facilities with a track record managing large-scale platform plugging and abandonment(P&A), major subsea well decommissioning and integrated wells and facilities projects. The firm’s CEO, Mike Adams, commented: “With global offshore decommissioning spend projected to double over the next two decades, the need for integrated, cost-effective and innovative solutions is crucial. “We believe this approach to decommissioning presents significant opportunities for efficiencies, particularly when technical teams collaborate early in the process. “We have seen these benefits firsthand through our successful delivery of integrated wells and facilities scopes. “With Ross leading this key area, we are confident that his experience and expertise will help us to continue to drive innovation and efficiency in the decommissioning sector.” Last year saw Elemental Energies snap up Norwegian firm Well Expertise, giving it a turnover boost worth more than £50 million. © Supplied by BlueFloat EnergyBlueFloat Energy CEO Carlos Martin Rivals. Carlos Martin Rivals has stepped down as CEO of BlueFloat Energy. Writing on LinkedIn, he said: “After careful thinking, I’ve concluded that it is the right moment to turn the page on my role in the company I founded with the support from 547 Energy and Quantum Capital Group in 2020 and move forward to explore other opportunities. “It has been an amazing journey since

Ministers are considering cutting the budget of Labour’s flagship state-owned energy company GB Energy. GB Energy was originally promised a budget of £8.3 billion over the current five-year duration of parliament. However, October’s budget only included £100 million for the company’s first two years. A Financial Times report warned that the upcoming June spending review will likely see cuts to the budget. The move comes amid mounting pressure on the UK government as it looks to push defence spending against the backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and a weakening US commitment to NATO. This means that every part of the budget could be subject to a “zero-based review”, with sources warning that every previous spending commitment could be under review. According to people familiar with the discussions, the Treasury could cut £3.3bn from its budget, including the portion previously earmarked for low-interest loans to cover projects such as rooftop solar and shared-ownership wind projects. A government spokesperson said: “We are fully committed to GB Energy, which is at the heart of our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower and to ensure homes are cheaper and cleaner to run.” However, neither the Treasury nor the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) have confirmed that GB Energy is still guaranteed the full £8.3bn of funding. While the exact remit of the company is still unknown, GB Energy was created to help accelerate the UK’s energy transition, most likely by taking stakes in projects such as offshore wind farms. However, the group’s chairman, Jurgen Maier, has previously said his long-term plan for the company is to create a UK Orsted. Maier’s claims that GB Energy could create 1,000 jobs have also been revised, with Maier clarifying that that figure would be over 20 years, with the next