EnerMech veterans Doug Duguid and Michael Buchan have launched a new energy services firm in Aberdeen.
The two open the doors of Aurora Energy Services through their I7V Renewables investment fund and kick-start the business with two strategic acquisitions.
Both of the firms being taken on board are north-east based, with Huntly’s offshore services and fabrication company R&M Engineering and rope access and training firm, Inverness Access Training Services (IATS) joining Aurora.
The new business has confirmed that all existing jobs at R&M and IATS are secure and the firm looks to increase its current headcount of around 80 to 200 through further acquisitions.
Aurora has seen investment in senior management with Alan McLean, who has been with R&M for over 30 years, coming on board.
Mr McLean is joined by Alan Bailey, who has been appointed as the new managing director at R&M after previously working alongside Mr Duguid and Mr Buchan at EnerMech for 12 years.
IATS co-owners, Andy and Lorna Johnston, will remain with the new entity and have also invested in Aurora
Over the next five years, Aurora looks to reach a turnover of £100 million while working with hydrocarbon professionals as they transition into renewables.
As it looks to the energy transition, the Aberdeen business says it will develop three business streams.
The first of these three are renewables services, which include inspection, repair and maintenance, engineering, and installation support.
The remaining two areas of focus are training and engineering, fabrication and design, the latter will see operation in both oil and gas and later renewables.
Chief executive of I7V Renewables, Mr Duguid said: “Aurora Energy Services is structuring its operational capability to deliver an integrated service to the renewables industry.
“It is clear from conversations with wind farm developers and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) that there is some frustration with having to manage the various interfaces between different contractors, and the increased costs and inefficiency that this causes.”
Aurora is investing in developing a full design engineering function at its headquarters in Aberdeen, this site will provide a digital capability for customers to access real-time progress on all aspects of the work the firm is carrying out for them.
The new business will also be taking on a new 11,000 sq ft site in the Longman area of Inverness for rope access training.
Aurora is putting down a £750,000 investment in this Inverness location and will focus on training the renewable sector’s workforce.
Mr Duguid added: “Aurora will be focused on providing localised support to our customers. By developing our own workforce, and working closely with our customers to optimise work planning and execution, we will ensure that our operations are streamlined, minimising both the cost of our services and our carbon footprint.
“We have listened closely to the needs of both our renewable and oil industry customers who want their contractors to focus on minimising emissions and extending the life extension of energy assets, component refurbishment, and in cases where the former is not practicable, recycling.
“We see tremendous value in transitioning Scotland’s energy base and workforce towards more renewable sources, and at the same time utilising the immense offshore knowledge and experience from Scotland’s oil and gas industry, and applying this to the new energy sources which will keep Scotland at the leading edge of energy production.”
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