The North Sea: A Long Future Ahead

TAQA Bratani is a large independent oil firm that was set up by Abu Dhabi National Energy Company specifically to focus on the North Sea. Having acquired several fields, including paying £700 million ($1.1 billion) for central North Sea assets owned by BP in a deal announced in late 2012, the company’s activities support more than 2,500 people working both onshore and offshore.

Last year, TAQA announced it would be launching a graduate recruitment program – an unusual move for an independent oil company operating in the North Sea.

“The first intake will be in 2014 and so far we have four committed graduate opportunities for that and it may actually grow,” TAQA Talent Acquisition Manager David Priestley spoke to Rigzone in a recent interview, explaining that the company is taking a long-term view when it comes to making sure it has all the skills it needs to carry out its plans.

“We’re not building a short-term business that is just focused on the next three or four years and the reserves that are currently in place and just drawing those out. We see a longterm future and we don’t believe that just pilfering talent is a sustainable business model – not to say that we are not attracting talent from other companies as well.”

Indeed, at current rates of recruitment Priestley envisages TAQA recruiting around 120 positions for its North Sea operations during the next two years.

TAQA’s acquisitions since it set up operations in Aberdeen in 2006 – including its 2009 takeover of the Brent System of pipelines and facilities – show its confidence in the North Sea. But Priestley explained the reasons for the company’s involvement in the region are twofold.

“First and foremost is we see that we can still make money here. We wouldn’t be here [if we couldn’t] make money. The oil price is good, we have just increased our infrastructure base and we have future plans for that infrastructure base,” he said.