The chief executive of Flotation Energy has warned that the UK Government’s approach to taxing North Sea oil and gas is impacting the energy transition.
Barry MacLeod raised the alarm after CNOOC withdrew from an electrification deal linked to the Green Volt floating wind project.
Speaking at the Floating Offshore Wind conference in Aberdeen, he argued that chancellor Rachel Reeves needs to listen to the demands of Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) and Scottish Renewables if the government wants to save jobs in the north-east of Scotland.
“It feels a little bit funny to be talking about this at a renewables conference, but I think there’s a huge skills capability in offshore energy already here in Scotland," he said.
“And I think, if we’re going to capitalise on that and have the benefits of that, and for the transition to work, you need those jobs and those skills to be here before people can transition across.
“What we’re seeing at the moment is 1,000 job losses every month, so we’ve got a bit of a crisis going on but it’s within the government’s gift to take the recommendation suggested by OEUK and make a change in the upcoming budget.”
Earlier this month, Scottish Renewables, representing more than 350 green energy companies, partnered with Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) to urge Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband to end the Energy Profits Levy in 2026.