An Aberdeen-based subsea technology firm has joined the throng of companies removing any reference to oil and gas in their names.
EC-OG – which stood for East Coast Oil and Gas – today (January 26) became Verlume in a move it said would prepare it for “large-scale growth at pace” and reflect its position as a “clean technology leader”.
Explaining the new moniker, a spokeswoman for the company said: “Verlume is a combination of ‘ver’, which is part of the word ‘green’ in languages such as French and Spanish, to reflect our clean technology ambitions.
“Then ‘lume’ refers to light, which represents the path to the large-scale growth of the company.”
She added the name came about as a result of discussions and other “engagement” exercises within the company, including “idea generation sessions” and surveys.
Our new name serves as a signpost for our clean-tech ambitions, demonstrating how our core technologies of intelligent energy management and storage can be applied across various sectors.”
Richard Knox, managing director, Verlume.
It follows a flurry of rebranding events in a north-east energy industry traditionally focused on oil and gas.
Aberdeen-based Oil and Gas Technology Centre became simply OGTC and then the Net Zero Technology Centre.
Last year industry body Oil and Gas UK adopted just its acronym, OGUK, for its new online name.
All staff and support emails that previously used oilandgasuk.co.uk were transferred to the new domain.
Industry’s ‘changing needs’
The subtle switch was hailed by the organisation as a “significant moment” in its history as it tries to “keep pace with the changing needs of our industry”.
Swire Oilfield Services rebranded to Swire Energy Services and Robert Gordon University’s Oil and Gas Institute became the RGU Energy Transition Institute.
Further afield, companies including Norway’s Statoil (now Equinor), and French companies GDF Suez (Engie) and Total (TotalEnergies) have changed their names to fit the global transition towards cleaner fuels.
Verlume has been at the heart of energy transition projects since the business was launched by Richard Knox and Rob Cowman in 2013.
Its “smart” subsea power hub converts ocean currents into renewable energy for remote subsea locations, reducing the cost of repairing or replacing umbilicals after all-too-common power failures.
The company’s flagship Halo product will be part of a world-first autonomous offshore power sea trial off the coast of Hawaii this quarter.
Verlume said its brand refresh highlighted its capability to deliver decarbonisation through intelligent energy management in a range of energy sectors including underwater, offshore and onshore.
Mr Knox, managing director, added: “Our new name serves as a signpost for our clean-tech ambitions, demonstrating how our core technologies of intelligent energy management and storage can be applied across various sectors.
“We were ahead of the curve with our team’s passion for the energy transition, beginning back in 2013 when the company was founded.
“Changing our name to Verlume emphasises our continued commitment to being a front-runner in sustainable solutions to build the future of energy.”
Chairman Bob MacDonald said: “Verlume is poised for a rapid period of growth and the new name reflects the business’ goals and drivers as the energy mix changes.
“With the company’s extensive track record, I look forward to the completion of more industry-first projects around the globe under the new brand name.”
