The oil and gas industry still has a strong future in Scotland, despite its current challenges, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on 19 September, when she officially opened the new headquarters of Statoil in Aberdeen.
The new HQ is part of the company’s plans to expand its operation in the North Sea; by 2018, it expects to employ up to 200 people onshore and up to 500 offshore.
Furthermore, more than 1,000 jobs will be supported in the supply chain as Statoil develops the Mariner field, with work expected to start in the summer of 2017.
Statoil says its expansion plans in oil and gas, as well as renewables, demonstrate the versatility of Scotland’s energy sector; it is also investing in offshore wind through the Hywind project — the world’s first floating offshore wind development, off the coast at Peterhead.
Ahead of a meeting with Oil & Gas UK, the First Minister also confirmed that the first 600 people have had applications approved for the three-year Transition Training Fund, launched in February to help Scotland retain the skills developed through the oil and gas industry.
She also announced that around 70 innovation projects with a total value of around £16 million have benefitted from £7 million of Scottish Government support to help firms reduce the risks associated with research and development.
The First Minister said: “The expertise that Scottish oil and gas firms have built up over many decades has positioned our energy sector as a world leader; and while we realise that the industry and workforce are going through a difficult time, this expansion by Statoil is a vote of confidence in the North Sea’s future.”
The Mariner oil field is progressing as planned, and Statoil expects to commence production in 2018, with production expected to last for 30 years.
During her visit, the First Minister saw a model of the Noble Lloyd Noble jack-up rig. The rig has just arrived in Scotland and will be berthed at Global Energy’s Nigg Energy Park before being positioned offshore in the Mariner field. The rig will start drilling around November and stay in the Mariner field for four years.