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As a not-for-profit, private sector-led company spearheading North East Scotland’s energy transition, ETZ Ltd's clear vision is for this region to remain a global leader in energy excellence with a world-class supply chain, pioneering low carbon projects and thriving economy. You can read more about recent project developments and supply chain activities in our latest quarterly update, highlighting the significant progress we are making toward realising our vision for the region. Read here

Welcome to the first edition of ETZ Ltd’s Community & Coast Newsletter. Here you can find out the latest updates about ETZ Ltd’s Community & Coast programme, delivering sustainable, long-term, community wealth-building investments as an integral part of our wider energy transition ambitions. Read it here.

Through our Community & Coast programme, ETZ Ltd is fully committed to supporting communities located in proximity to the Energy Transition Zone by delivering sustainable and long-term investments to enhance local greenspaces and community amenities. As an early step in this programme of activity, ETZ Ltd are working in partnership with Aberdeen City Council and Historic Environment Scotland to take forward site investigation works on St Fittick’s Church. The aim of these investigations is to identify conservation improvements that could be made to ensure this site of historical importance can best reflect and serve the heritage of local and wider communities for generations to come. The church is owned by Aberdeen City Council. It was scheduled as a monument in 2002 by Historic Environment Scotland who oversee matters affecting all scheduled monuments. Initial Condition Assessment St Fittick’s Church was founded between 1189 and 1199. A full archaeological assessment of the church has been undertaken by Cameron Archaeology. An initial visual conservation appraisal of the church was undertaken in December 2023 by EALA (Conservation Architects) to assess the condition of the church, appraise its significance and recommend conservation repairs. The initial appraisal indicated that although much of the cement render is intact with minimal cracking, the extent of deterioration behind the cement render is unknown. The initial appraisal identified a number of conservation opportunities including fabric repair, opening blocked windows and the opportunity for community involvement in heritage, scheduling and repairing of the graves. Initial investigative works – Commenced Monday 25th August, and lasting 6-8 weeks. Access to the internal areas of the church will be temporarily restricted during the investigative works. Site investigation works have now been initiated to assess the condition of the stonework beneath the harling through a programme of inspection and sampling. The site investigation work will involve the removal of four areas of cement render from the walls of the church to enable the condition of the walls beneath the render to be assessed and the reapplication of the harling using hot mixed lime. The assessment will be undertaken by an archaeologist, specialist conservation engineers and Historic Environment Scotland. The site works are subject to a Conservation Management Plan accepted by Historic Environment Scotland which will provide the basis for developing a conservation proposal for the church. The Community & Coast team can be contacted at information@etzltd.com

Building an ecosystem of innovation and impact HPR ROV is next up as part of the 'Inside the Energy Transition Zone' series. Focusing on the organisations based in the Energy Transition Zone, we spoke with Jan Stander, HPR ROV’s managing director, finding out more about their work in supporting the renewable energy sector. Jan also tells us about how visits from international delegations and local collaboration through ETZ Ltd have opened up new business opportunities… What does your company do? HPR ROV is a service company that specialises in hand deployed ROVs. Small and lightweight, our ROVs can be deployed at short notice from any location to ensure effective turnaround for priority jobs. It is because of their capability to access restricted underwater locations safely and efficiently that our ROVs give a clear understanding of exactly what is happening under the surface. Our remote access capabilities and detailed insight reports then give you visual access to assets whenever it is needed, and this then helps improve asset safety and integrity while significantly reducing risk and cost. How would you say HPR ROV’s activity fits into the wider energy transition? Our ROVs have been successfully deployed in the offshore wind industry, and while I am based in the office, we have teams going offshore with micro ROV equipment to inspect and ensure that the integrity is there, supporting the asset lifecycle. What made you want to move into the Energy Transition Zone? We have been in the Energy Transition Zone for over 6 months, and it is because of our deployment in the offshore wind industry that HPR ROV decided to move to ETZ and the W-ZERO 1 building in Aberdeen. It is a part of our strategy to align and be part of the energy transition. What benefits have you seen so far from being based at W-ZERO 1, and what support have you received from ETZ Ltd? Being based here is excellent. Not only seeing all the delegations come in, but this all shows what profile there is around offshore wind and floating wind in particular. Also, it is good to be able to integrate with the other companies based in the Energy Transition Zone. There is a sense of collaboration. All of this has meant that we have seen opportunities with operators due to working here. Outside of the actual office facilities, HPR ROV also applied for some funding and was successful in being awarded a grant through the ETZ Ltd Challenge Fund, which is helping our company expand further. Funding like this is really important for small companies and will help us accelerate our growth.

ETZ Ltd’s Jobs and Skills plan summarises what we have achieved over the past year and outlines our strategy to support energy transition jobs and skills activities for the next five years. ㅤ Our first plan identified a clear ambition for 2025, and this refreshed version builds on these strong foundations, informing a comprehensive strategy between now and 2030. Ensuring North East Scotland’s businesses have the right skilled people for energy transition and making sure those skills and job opportunities are accessible for the people in the region, is crucial for a successful and just energy transition. ㅤㅤ ETZ Ltd is fully committed to ensuring jobs and skills opportunities are embedded throughout all aspects of our work. ㅤ Read the Jobs and Skills plan

The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) has awarded £400,000 to help deliver the North East’s new Energy Transition Skills Hub. The collaborative venture is being driven by the Energy Transition Zone (ETZ Ltd), Shell UK and NESCol as part of a consortium of private and public investment. The extra funding, which comes from the ECITB’s investment in regional skills hubs, will further support the establishment and operation of the training facility, which is designed to help meet the current and future training needs of the energy transition. The ECITB investment will fund the equipping and fitting of a modern welding academy within the facility, including 32 welding bays, to help meet the growing demand for welders in the region. ECITB Chief Executive Andrew Hockey said: “Our Labour Forecasting Tool predicts that the ECI could need thousands of additional workers over the coming years for major projects, including those that contribute to the country’s net zero goals. “Without a pipeline of trained, skilled workers all this risks not being achieved, which is why we’re working with industry partners in the UK’s industrial cluster regions to grow the number of skilled engineers and craftspeople we need now and in the future. “As an integral part of workforce development and supporting the pipeline of new recruits into the energy industry, the Skills Hub will be central to the success of the long-term project to support the transition to renewable energies in North East Scotland. “The ECITB is delighted to support the project, with the proposal highlighting the commitment of industry partners to be involved in the designing, equipping and curriculum planning for the facility.” The project has already received £4.5 million from the Scottish Government’s Just Transition Fund, £2.3 million from ETZ Ltd and £500,000 from NESCol to transform a disused dairy adjacent to the college’s Aberdeen Altens Campus into a state-of-the-art skills facility. Shell has also committed £1.8m towards the running costs of the Hub for the first five years with a view to supporting 1,000 jobs in the region, which sits in the 40-hectare Energy Transition Zone. The Hub will include community space for local groups and a new, flexible curriculum, including weekend and evening courses, to increase the availability of training for individuals who experience barriers in accessing traditional modes of attendance, such as adult returners. The project will also see the deployment of an outreach mobile vehicle to promote careers in the energy sector. The vehicle is available to visit all 27 secondary schools in North East Scotland, reaching potentially 15,000 pupils a year. The ECITB, alongside the founding partners and other industry representatives, will be part of an industry liaison group to help shape the curriculum. Subject areas covered by NESCol at the Hub will include welding, wind, general engineering and fabrication skills, carbon capture, usage and storage, renewables, hydrogen and electrical. Robin McGregor, NESCol Vice Principal Curriculum and Quality, said: “The Energy Transition Skills Hub is a hugely significant project for the college and our partners. “NESCol works very closely with industry to ensure the skills required in the jobs market are reflected in the courses we offer and the learning environment we create, with the new facility underlining the ambition the partners share as a driving force in the journey to net zero. “This investment in the environmental and economic sustainability of the region comes at a time of great opportunity for the north east and the college has a crucial role to play in ensuring the knowledge, skills and expertise that provide the foundation for energy transition are at the heart of that bright future.” ECITB Regional Skills Hubs funding is designed to boost training provider capacity and grow new entrant numbers in industrial cluster hot spots and other major engineering construction centres of activity to help address skills shortages in the industry. Regional Skills Hubs funding grants of between £50,000 and £500,000 are available to ECI projects that meet set criteria.