Nine energy companies have committed £600,000 to the University of Aberdeen for a new research initiative aimed at accelerating the transition to clean energy.
The funding will support the establishment of a Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) within the School of Geosciences.
The companies involved are bp, Chevron, CNOOC, ExxonMobil, Equinor, Harbour Energy, Shell, Spirit Energy and TotalEnergies.
Professor John Underhill, who leads the initiative, stated: “The starting point on the journey to net zero is very challenging as oil and gas still provides three quarters of the UK’s energy needs and finding ways to decarbonise industry at pace while supplementing this activity with carbon storage, wind farms, geothermal and other renewable technologies.”
Louise Kingham, bp’s Senior Vice President, Europe and Head of Country, UK said: “We have been a part of people’s lives in the UK for more than 100 years. That’s over a century of producing energy, stimulating economic growth, creating jobs and, through our vast supply chain, helping UK companies to prosper.”
Nicolas Payer, UK Country Chair at TotalEnergies said: “This kind of partnership approach to research and development is crucial to the UK’s energy future.
“The work done by the CDT supports the development of new ideas in areas including carbon capture and the decarbonisation of oil and gas operations, topics we are already progressing but which we need to continually push the boundaries of.”
