Thousands plead with Starmer to save North Sea jobs
An open letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has been signed by thousands warning that Aberdeen’s energy skills base is at risk of being lost forever.
An open letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has been signed by thousands warning that Aberdeen’s energy skills base is at risk of being lost forever.
Pleas for the government to listen to the offshore energy industry were made at an emergency conference called to address a rapid decline in employment.
600 jobs at risk in the north-east of Scotland in the last two weeks; 2,500 jobs lost in the North Sea in the last year. These are the points being made by politicians and business leaders following Harbour Energy's 250 job cuts in Aberdeen.
A decision from North Sea operator Harbour Energy to cut up to 25% of its workforce is a "devastating blow" according to an Aberdeen business leader.
AGCC has called for a series of policy shifts from first minister John Swinney ahead of the 2025 Programme for Government.
Businesses across the north-east of Scotland have raised concerns about the continued impact the windfall tax is having on the region's employers.
The “challenging pace of the energy transition” and accelerated “decline of traditional North Sea activity” are taking their toll on Aberdeen manufacturers, business leaders have said.
Russell Borthwick, chief executive of Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce, held the country up as an example of how not to transition from fossil fuels.
“There’s a lot at stake for the government,” said the head of the North Sea Transition Taskforce as he reflected on energy policy.
AGCC calls for the UK to end the windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas, but environmental group Uplift criticises industry "profiteering".
The latest in a series of polls gauging opinion on the UK energy sector has found that the vast majority of locals yet again support domestic North Sea oil and gas production.
As businesses contend with rising bills, difficulties with recruitment and dwindling orders, 51% of Aberdeen firms project reduced profits in 2025.
Two years after the Scottish Government launched a draft strategy with a "presumption against" developing new North Sea oil and gas, a business group has accused Holyrood of "burying its head in the sand" as the UK faces winter gas shortages.
The North Sea Transition Taskforce has been launched in Aberdeen to support a just transition for offshore workers and firms operating in UK waters.
Labour's budget has brought "a difficult day for the sector" as oil and gas firms face a "super tax", say industry commentators.
The Scottish Government is expected to unveil its latest energy strategy and just transition plan in coming days.
North-east business leaders not yet certain if GB Energy can fill the gap as job loss concerns hit energy sector.
British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) director general Shevaun Haviland warned that while the "imperative for net zero is ratcheting up daily", the UK needs a plan in place "as soon as possible"
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has shared a number of Aberdeen-based job ads relating to Great British Energy.
The annual Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (Gers) report confirm "windfall conditions no longer exist in the North Sea".
Aberdeen councillors, including Labour members, have unanimously backed a motion agreeing the UK government's windfall tax policy puts jobs and a just transition at risk.
An Aberdeen Labour councillor said the "negativity" of local business leaders will be to blame if his party does not select the Granite City as the headquarters for GB Energy.
Labour has promised to headquarter its public energy firm in Scotland - but is yet to stay where exactly it will be based.
As the new Labour Government looks to get the ball rolling on Great British Energy, Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce (AGCC) have called for the firm to be based in the north-east of Scotland.
North-east business leaders called on the Chancellor to scrap windfall taxes on the energy sector, as research suggests Aberdeen is the slowest-growing economy in the UK.