Back in February 2020, the British oil super major, BP, set its ambitious bp net zero strategy by 2050 or sooner. The strategy has shown results in almost one year of existence; with BP’s participation in the U.S. offshore wind, carbon capture in the U.K and abroad, as well as focused hydrocarbons.
But who are the people behind those strategies that are removing emissions from world’s roads, homes and skies; as the company get closer and closer to its net-zero goals?
Firstly, as we reported previously, in late January, 2021, BP formally entered into U.S’s offshore wind. The project involves the development of 4,4 gigawatts from two offshore wind assets, off the coasts of New York: the Emprie and Beacon Wind projects.
Secondly, Stacey Dillon-Nicholls, and Rob Jonkergouw are the main characters behind this offshore wind projects. In fact, Rob is in charge of the team managing the company’s stake in Empire and Beacon; the two-gigawatt (GW) and 2.4GW offshore wind farms being developed off the US East Coast.
Thirdly, Jonkergouw acts as BP’s vice president of asset management offshore wind. On the other hand, Dillon-Nichols acts as BP’s Offshore Wind Project Manager. “The partnership with Equinor for the 4,4 GW projects in the U.S. is a huge milestone in the company’s journey to zero-carbon energy.” Dillon-Nichols says.
While Jonkergouw remarks. “It is a groundbreaking investment for BP, of $1,1 billion in a joint venture with Equinor. It’s a win, win, win,” says Rob. In this regard, New York’s projects are just the tip of the iceberg, as BP aims to have developed around 50GW of net renewable generating capacity by 2030 – a 20-fold increase from 2019.
Also recommended for you: BP partners with Aria Energy for methane capture and RNG production. Click Here.
bp Net Zero strategy includes carbon capture, solar, focused hydrocarbons, ev’s and more
Another groundbreaking project of bp Net Zero strategy is the Net Zero Teesside. Based in the northeast of England, the project intends to capture and store 10 million tons of CO2 emissions each year. This would be the equivalent to the emissions associated with the annual energy use of up to three million homes in the UK.
One of the core members of this project is BP’s business development analyst Bilal Ahmad, who has been working on it for more than a year. “A first-of-a-kind project for the UK – and for the world,” he says.
Moreover, his involvement in the project includes getting the agreements in place with partners and the government, so that by around 2025, local industries can plug into a pipeline that transports their industrial CO2 emissions, to safely store them under the North Sea.
Finally, BP’s strategy includes emission reduction in key hydrocarbon assets; also, electric vehicle charging network development. Tae Park, Project Manager of the Atlantis project, in the Gulf of Mexico; and Dave Olive, Electrical Compliance & Quality Manager at BP Pulse, the company’s wing for charging network development in the UK, respectively, are key drivers for these projects.
However, is solar power, and BP’s Lightsource wing, which has a prominent spot in the company’s strategy towards net-zero. Ann Davies, physicist, engineer and Chief Operating Officer is the one leading the project. Which, in the first quarter of 2021, brought LSbp’s total acquisitions to over 1.9GW, in 14 different countries.
“Some of the biggest problems we have on this planet relate to energy. That will appeal to any scientist or engineer out there who wants to solve problems,” she says. “This is one big issue to solve and it’s going to take time; it’s going to take patience; and it’s going to take action, and we have to work together for our future.” She concludes.
