Shell is scaling back its low-carbon division – including hydrogen – with 200 ‘green jobs’ on the line, according to a report in The Telegraph.
While the use of hydrogen to power HGVs is gaining ground, using hydrogen to power cars has stalled. Shell was a pioneer in hydrogen for cars and vans, with fuelling facilities at its Shell Beaconsfield and Cobham motorway sites and also at Gatwick Airport, but all have since closed due to lack of demand.
The Telegraph said redundancies were part of chief executive Wael Sawan’s plans to cut costs across the business by 2025.
Most of the job losses will be in the hydrogen division of the business but it is believed other positions across the oil giant’s low-carbon division are at risk.
The Telegraph reported that staff were told the news in an internal memo.
A Shell spokesman said it was “simplifying the business structure” in its low-carbon solutions business and said some employees will be integrated into other parts of the company. However, it remained committed to achieving net zero by 2050.
Earlier this year, the company came in for criticism from shareholders who have said that its plans to decarbonise fell short of their expectations.
