Home / Business and Economy / Centrica Boss Warns of North Sea Job Losses Amid Energy Transition
Centrica Boss Warns of North Sea Job Losses Amid Energy Transition
13 Nov
Summary
- Centrica CEO concerned about decline in North Sea oil and gas jobs
- Transition to green energy not creating new roles quickly enough
- Lessons learned from coal mine closures during miners' strike
As of November 13th, 2025, Centrica CEO Chris O'Shea is concerned about the future of the energy industry in his homeland of Scotland. Despite not living there for decades, O'Shea is worried that the decline in North Sea oil and gas drilling and the transition to green energy will not create new roles quickly enough to offset job losses.
O'Shea points to the recent announcement of job cuts by the UK's largest oil and gas producer, Harbour Energy, as well as the "staggering" fall in North Sea activity reported by the Port of Aberdeen. While he acknowledges that the energy transition is "the right thing to do" and that British Gas no longer explores for oil and gas in the North Sea, O'Shea believes the pace of change is too rapid.
Drawing on his personal experience growing up in the coal mining town of Fife, O'Shea has seen the "devastation" that can occur when well-paid jobs disappear. He is determined to avoid a similar fate for the communities dependent on the North Sea industry, stating, "I desperately want to avoid that through this transition."
