Offshore energy company Aquaterra Energy, which is headquartered in Norwich and has additional offices in the UK, Norway, Australia, South East Asia and Egypt, was crowned winner of two awards at the Norfolk Business Awards 2022.
The business won the Environmental and Sustainability Award, sponsored by The Norse Group, and was also selected from all other category winners to be named Norfolk Business of the Year, sponsored by Barclays.
“We’ve worked hard over the last few years to grow our business; from people and operational footprint, to launching our renewables division and supporting offshore energy decarbonisation,” said managing director James Larnder. “This award is a testament to everyone’s hard work and commitment, and something the entire team can be proud of.”
Aquaterra was founded in 2005 and has grown from a team of just four people to over 100 today. The business provides equipment and solutions to the global offshore energy industry – helping clients drive efficient and sustainable offshore operations, from drilling and field development, to decommissioning, carbon capture and storage, wind and hydrogen projects.
“Innovation is at our core,” said James. “We continually find new ways to improve our delivery and increase value, ensuring our customers consistently achieve their goals.”
One of the ways in which Aquaterra aims to stand out from the crowd is in its commitment to reducing its carbon footprint through the introduction of innovative and sustainable practices.
The company’s roots lie in the oil and gas industry, but as the need to tackle climate change becomes increasingly significant for businesses across the globe, it is taking steps to reduce its own impact and that of its clients, utilising an environmental, social and governance (ESG)-based approach and embracing the shift away from fossil fuels.
“The energy transition is well underway, but as long as there is an oil and gas energy sector, it must operate as efficiently and respectfully toward the environment as possible,” explained James. “That’s what our products and services are all about. And today, we are finding exciting new opportunities to deliver them across the broader offshore energy spectrum, from carbon capture and storage to innovations in offshore green hydrogen.”
In September, as part of this commitment to the energy transition, Aquaterra announced a partnership with Seawind Ocean Technology to develop the world’s largest offshore floating wind and green hydrogen production project in Italian waters.
Internally, Aquaterra is fully immersed in its own sustainability journey and has put in a great deal of hard work in this area over the past few years.
It is proud to have been carbon-neutral on all of its sites since 2020, and in 2021, it offset 2,127,348kg of CO2 with accredited offsetting schemes. It is currently undertaking the same process for this year too and has committed to reaching net zero by 2030.
“To support this, we have implemented an internal ESG committee and proactively train our staff on sustainable operations, such as carbon management and sustainable procurement,” James explained.
Aquaterra’s proactive approach earned high praise from the Norfolk Business Awards judges, and it aims to continue keeping its focus firmly on the future with what James called an “ambitious” growth plan and targets for the next few years.
“Moving forward, we’ll be looking to further expand our geographical footprint as we support even more customers globally, add to our already fantastic team, launch new product innovations to support the energy transition, and support the world on its path to net zero.”
For more information, visit aquaterraenergy.com
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