JUST over a year into taking on the top job at BP, Bob Dudley was keen to talk up the global firm’s UK territory yesterday.
Visiting Aberdeen was a return to the city in which BP’s Mississippi-born group chief executive once lived and worked. A chemical engineer by training, he joined Amoco in 1979 before it merged with BP.
Speaking to staff at the firm’s Dyce offices, he said: “It’s great to be back in Aberdeen.
“I lived and worked here in the 1980s. The city vibrated then as the global centre of the offshore oil and gas industry and it continues today to provide innovation and expertise for the global energy industry.
“I have heard the North Sea oil and gas industry described as the UK’s greatest post-war industrial success story. It is hard to disagree with that when you look at some of the achievements.”
He said since the late 1960s the industry collectively had invested nearly £300billion in exploration drilling and field developments. A similar figure had been paid to the Exchequer in corporate taxes.
“BP alone has invested around £35billion into the UK North Sea and has contributed more than £40billion to the government in taxes,” he added. “40billion barrels of oil and gas equivalent has been produced from the UK Continental Shelf and the industry still supports almost 450,000 jobs here.
“To date, BP has produced about 5billion barrels of oil and gas equivalent from its North Sea acreage. Based on current estimates, we believe we have the potential for at least 3billion more.
“We are currently working on projects that will take production for some of our largest fields out towards 2050.
“This investment reflects our confidence in the region.”
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