About Aberdeen City Council
Aberdeen is one of Europe’s pioneering hydrogen cities. Aberdeen City Council embarked on its hydrogen journey more than ten years ago and has already demonstrated how demand can be created within cities, using the zero emission fuel to power a fleet of 25 buses, 60 public sector vehicles and waste trucks, as well as designing hydrogen use into the P&J Live events complex energy centre.
The Aberdeen Hydrogen Hub is one of the projects that sits within Aberdeen City Council’s H2 Aberdeen initiative and is linked to Net Zero Aberdeen Routemap.
H2 Aberdeen aims to grow a hydrogen economy in the Aberdeen city region. It seeks to stimulate innovative hydrogen projects and advance the take-up of hydrogen technologies in the city. The overall aim is to position Aberdeen as a centre of excellence for hydrogen technology by utilising the transferable oil and gas expertise and harness the exceptional capacity for renewable power generation in North East Scotland.
About bp
bp’s purpose is to reimagine energy for people and our planet and has set an ambition to be a net zero company by 2050, or sooner, and help the world get to there too. bp’s strategy sees bp transform from an international oil company producing resources – to an integrated energy company providing solutions to customers.
bp sees low carbon hydrogen as a key player in the future energy mix and is working on major hydrogen projects in the UK, Europe, Australia and the US. In 2020, as part of bp’s Clean Cities aim, bp and Aberdeen City Council announced a partnership to help the Council achieve the goals of the recently approved Net Zero Vision to reduce carbon emissions and become a climate positive city. This collaboration spans multiple areas of the City’s energy and mobility needs.
bp’s relationship with Scotland dates back more than one hundred years. bp is committed to supporting a just transition that continues to create jobs, build skills and capabilities, and help Scotland maintain its position as a leader in energy while achieving its net zero goals.
About bp Aberdeen Hydrogen Energy Limited
bp Aberdeen Hydrogen Energy Limited is a joint venture between bp and Aberdeen City Council formed in March 2022 which intends to deliver a scalable green hydrogen production, storage and distribution facility in the city powered by renewable energy.
The Aberdeen Hydrogen Hub project is central to Aberdeen City Council’s H2 vision to expand the supply and demand for hydrogen in support of the city’s net zero vision. It aims to harness the natural resources, skills and capacity in the North East of Scotland to create jobs in an exciting new energy sector that builds on our oil and gas heritage.
Our team
Dr Oliver Taylor, Chief Executive Officer
Dr Oliver Taylor is Vice President Business Development & Integration, bp UK, working within the part of bp that is focused on Regions, Corporates & Solutions.
Oli has been working with Aberdeen City Council since 2020 when bp and the local authority began a partnership to help the city deliver its ambition to be a climate positive city and deliver its net zero goals.
Through his work at bp, Oli launched a circular economy business focused on reducing waste in automotive engine oils and worked as chief of staff to bp’s chief scientist and head of downstream technology.
Follow Oli on LinkedIn.
Katie Butler, Chief Financial Officer
Having started her career in an international gas business, Katie qualified as a chartered accountant in KPMG audit and corporate sustainability. Katie leveraged her interest in the energy sector at Centrica and joined bp in 2005.
Katie has led teams in audit, learning & development, internal control, performance reporting and now she works in Aberdeen as senior manager for accounting, reporting and control. Katie’s leadership experience in audit, risk and governance, including 13 years as a school governor and chair, complements her passion for people development and purposeful leadership. Katie is a board director and chief financial officer for the Aberdeen Hydrogen Hub.
Tom Thayer, Training and Skills Lead
Tom joined bp in early 2021 and focuses on the external skills agenda and partnerships around bp’s renewables projects including support for ScotWind, Teesside and the Aberdeen Hydrogen Hub. Passionate about education, skills development and the role that business can play in socio/economic community transformation, Tom leads the Hub’s work around ‘Training and Skills’ bringing a wealth of experience and a proven track record of developing highly-impactful, large-scale programmes that deliver positive community impact (most recently from his work at Hinkley Point C for EDF UK). He is a qualified teacher and has an MA in Education & Professional Development.
Follow Tom on LinkedIn.
