BP Alaska: About half of employees offered Hilcorp jobs

JUNEAU, Alaska — BP Alaska said Thursday about half of its employees have been offered jobs with Hilcorp Alaska, which plans to take over BP’s interests on the North Slope in a sale worth $5.6 billion.

In a letter to the state labour department, BP Alaska reported so far 806 of its 1,567 employees affected by the deal have gotten job offers from Hilcorp, and 749 have accepted. Another 342 have volunteered for severance, 153 have jobs planned with BP elsewhere and 29 have resigned.

The letter said 294 employees are seeking jobs. Meg Baldino, a spokeswoman for BP Alaska, said that number takes into account people who did not accept an offer from Hilcorp. She said the BP is “actively working” with those still seeking employment and expects that number to go down.

She stressed all the numbers reported represent a snapshot in time and could change.

State labour department Commissioner Tamika Ledbetter, in a statement, said department representatives are working with BP “to ensure that the affected employees have the tools and information needed to transition to reemployment with as little disruption as possible.”

Hilcorp Alaska, in a statement, said it plans to nearly triple its workforce as it prepares for the planned acquisition, growing from about 500 employees to about 1,500 and plans to post more than 150 positions in the coming months as part of that push. Hilcorp Alaska is an affiliate of Texas-based Hilcorp Energy Co.

The planned sale, announced in August, comes as BP attempts to divest $10 billion in assets by 2020. The Alaska sale includes interests in the Prudhoe Bay oil field, Point Thomson gas field and the trans-Alaska pipeline system, BP has said. Harvest Alaska, another Hilcorp affiliate, would acquire BP’s stake in the pipeline.

The parties have said the deal, subject to regulatory approval, is expected to be completed next year.

Becky Bohrer, The Associated Press