Serica Energy is set to create around 40 jobs for its new Aberdeen office off the back of a major North Sea deal with BP.
The London-headquartered company is set to open a new base in Aberdeen in the summer.
It comes after Serica signed a deal with BP in November to acquire its Bruce, Keith and Rhum (BKR) fields, with work “well underway” to have it completed in Q3 of this year.
Over 100 BP workers, who are mainly offshore-based, are being transferred to Serica in the deal.
Meanwhile, the firm says it has secured office space in the city that would be suitable for around 60 employees.
Serica chief executive Mitch Flegg says the process of hiring new staff for the work is underway and expects to create around 40 new roles.
He said: “We believe that we have secured office space that’s suitable for 60 people in Aberdeen. I believe that a number of those guys coming across will be offshore. We will be employing in the order of 40 people in addition to those that are coming across.
“We’ve made the first job offers and have had them accepted. We believe there will be opportunities for us to benefit, as well as the wider north east. It’s very exciting.
“The company has been around for years, this is an opportunity to build its own culture as an operator.”
The BKR deal included Serica paying a £12.8million upfront sum, while also paying a share of cash flows over the next four years of cash flows over the next four years.
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It also covers 30% of BP’s post-tax decommissioning costs and will see Serica make several contingent payments based on the performance of the assets and future oil prices.
Serica says the deal is “transformational” and will provide additional revenue streams to counterbalance its reliance on the Erskine field, which had a prolonged shut-in in 2016.
Mr Flegg added: “It’s going well. We’re working very closely with BP who have given us a great deal of support through this. We’re now trying to get the processes and procedures in place.”
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