Following the recent approval of the Jackdaw gas field, Sandy Bonner, President of Western Europe at Bilfinger, provides an industry reaction. Bilfinger is one of the largest employers in the North Sea offshore maintenance market, with a significant base in Aberdeen as part of a 4500-strong workforce.
Sandy Bonner, President, Bilfinger Western Europe, said: "Today's decision on Jackdaw is a pragmatic one, and we welcome it. The UK will need gas for years to come, and producing more of it here, rather than importing it, strengthens our energy security at a time of real global uncertainty.
“In Aberdeen, the decision is also about people. Our offshore business started in Aberdeen more than fifty years ago, and we've seen first hand how much the region's skilled offshore workforce depends on long-term confidence in the basin. Those same engineers and skilled technicians are the people we will rely on to build out offshore wind, hydrogen, carbon capture and the wider low-carbon system.
“We don't see this as a choice between oil and gas and renewables. A secure, affordable transition needs both, managed in step. What the sector needs now is a stable, long-term policy framework, so that businesses can keep investing in people and skills for the decades ahead."
