Trade body Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) is publishing a set of reports to show how the UK offshore oil and gas industry supply chain can expand into cleaner energy, including hydrogen, offshore wind and carbon capture.
Commissioned by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), the three reports will be published over the coming year.
They will assess the current capabilities of the supply chain, identify where it has the most potential to realise new business, and outline the barriers faced by the oil and gas sector.
The reports come as the UK government and the offshore oil and gas industry work to “uphold and deliver” the supply chain obligations made in the North Sea Transition Deal.
The deal, launched in 2021, is intended as a blueprint for decarbonising upstream oil and gas production and helping companies realise a homegrown transition to cleaner energy.
It includes a commitment to make sure at least 50% of hydrogen, carbon capture and wind projects are met by local companies, contributing to the UK economy and supporting jobs.
OEUK supply chain and operations director Katy Heidenreich said: “The transition to cleaner energies is happening now.
“Our reports are an important building block for the Supply Chain Transformation Strategy we are developing that will show what governments and industry need to do to make sure we realise as much of that opportunity here in the UK.
“Producing the cleaner energies we need to meet our net zero goals will require billions of pounds of investment from companies, which in turn could support the UK’s economy, jobs and skills that can be exported globally.
“To do this, the offshore oil and gas supply chain must be competitively positioned to seize these opportunities.
“Our Supply Chain Transformation Strategy will give companies and policymakers the information they need to remove barriers, map out next steps, and importantly, realise the full scale of opportunities that await us if we get this right.”