Kent PLC
Katy Barnes, UK Market Director, Engineering and Consulting
About you
Tell us a bit about your organisation (who are you, where do you operate)
With over 100 years of experience, we design, build and maintain the assets that power the world for today and make it future-ready for tomorrow. From consulting to design, build, commissioning and start-up through to maintenance and decommissioning, we’re driving the energy solutions of the future. With projects executed in over 80 countries, we have a truly global footprint.
What is keeping you busy currently? What large projects are you working on?
We are supporting our clients to navigate through the Energy Transition by ensuring that their hydrocarbon production is as responsible and efficient as possible while prioritising safety and cost-effectiveness. We’re also working on multi-disciplinary projects, from concept through to Front End Engineering Design (FEED), as well as asset integrity support and asset decarbonisation. Additionally, we keep providing critical support to clients for ongoing operations across all disciplines.
Some of our projects in the UK include:
· We are developing the FEED for the Hydrogen Villages project, bringing a zero-carbon fuel to domestic heat,
· With INEOS, we provide Structural Integrity Analysis Modelling Services to existing offshore facilities in the Southern North Sea. Our work with INEOS continues with the groundbreaking Greensands project in Denmark examining all of the options for carbon capture and storage.
· We are working closely with Essar Oil, offering a range of consulting and engineering, enabling them to decarbonise their Stanlow Refinery.
What are some of the opportunities/challenges you see for your organisation in the future?
Our industry as a whole is working to accelerate the energy transition and with that comes a new set of skills that are required. We’re tackling this challenge by cross-skilling our workforce to better support multi-disciplinary projects and work across technologies of the energy transition; and that means we are always on the lookout for brightest minds to join our team to help pursue our purpose of tackling the greatest challenge of our time.
How would you describe the company culture? Do you have any specific shared values?
Our culture is shaped by the collective vision and values shared among our +14,000-strong team. We asked our team members what kind of company they wanted to work for and used their answers to build our culture. Our core beliefs include playing big, embracing emotional agility, being performance-driven, and practising infinite thinking. These shared values help guide our actions and drive our success as a company.
About your OEUK membership
As an organisation how is OEUK membership helping your business?
We value the networking opportunities that OEUK offers, and its engagement with governmental stakeholders which is critical at this time of energy crisis. Undoubtedly, it helps raise our visibility in the industry. We also appreciate the facilitation of meetings, relevant market information and the support OEUK offers in enhancing our company profile. Furthermore, we have observed positive engagement in all the initiatives run by OEUK.
Which OEUK event did you most enjoy and why?
We particularly enjoy the breakfast briefing events. They are provided with a good balance of speakers, networking opportunities, and updates on the latest industry information from different perspectives. They provide a great start to the workday!
We also see great value in the OEUK economic reports as a step back and review of market developments in our industry.
OEUK has over fourteen Forums, which forum do you attend and what do you like most about that particular forum?
Our team has attended and participated in a few OEUK forums, such as, the Offshore Decommissioning forum, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Forum, Asset Decarbonisation Forum, Energy Transition Forum and the Major Accident Hazard Workgroup, in addition to attending member meetings. What we like the most about these forums is that they provide a platform to engage in discussions on key topics that align with our company culture and strategy. We are excited to be back to in-person events and look forward to the opportunities that the future forums will bring.
Future of the industry
What are the biggest net zero changes you have seen in our industry?
We have seen a significant increase in the scale of net-zero projects being planned and undertaken in the industry. The advancements in technology and the emergence of more efficient designs have contributed to this growth. Additionally, floating offshore wind projects are becoming more prevalent and are poised to drive the industry into a new era. The key to these projects is finding and creating the right capability and ensuring we see the greatest benefit for UK plc, learning from the experience in the early phases of the offshore wind industry.
How do you see the industry looking in 20 years?
The UK faces a revolution and rebuild of its energy system. There is an opportunity for the UK to lead in providing technology and solutions in this sector, but it is essential it moves quickly to secure this position. Global capacity in the energy transition is likely to have increased significantly and will be spread throughout more countries than it is today. The offshore energy industry will continue to face scrutiny, as the effects of climate change become ever more apparent until the positive contributions to economic growth and job creation have been recognised, in tandem with it providing decarbonised and secure energy.
How is your organisation driving the transition to net zero?
When it comes to making a positive impact for people and our planet, we’re doers, not talkers. We harness our collective energy within to take action and create real-world change in a green-washed world. By empowering people to prosper, supporting a thriving planet, and living every day with purpose and principles, together, we’ll bring the world the energy it needs today and tomorrow in the most responsible way possible. We’re committed to being a compassionate catalyst for the energy transition. Addressing the wounds of yesterday, powering the world today and making it future-ready for tomorrow. We’re using our agility and know-how to help our clients break new ground in renewable energy whilst rolling up our sleeves and tackling the tough work of decarbonising conventional energy sources from within.
