By Ron Bousso
LONDON (Reuters) - BP (LON:BP)'s head of onshore wind and solar David Anderson will step down at the end of the year, the company said on Friday, the latest veteran departure under renewables boss Anja-Isabel Dotzenrath.
Anderson, who has been with BP for over 16 years, will be replaced by Noelia Álvarez Marivela, who joined BP from EDP Renewables in August 2022, BP said in a statement to Reuters.
Dotzenrath herself joined BP in March last year after heading RWE Renewables in what BP CEO Bernard Looney hailed at the time as a sign of how the energy company was attracting executives experienced in renewables to help BP shift away from oil and gas.
She has overseen large staff growth and changes in her division, bringing in several high-profile hires such as Matthias Bausenwein who joined from Danish wind power firm Orsted to lead BP's offshore wind division.
Anderson was in charge of BP's onshore wind operations as well as its interests in solar developer Lightsource bp in which it holds a 50% stake.
Marivela will report directly to Dotzenrath and will oversee all new onshore renewables development, construction and operations activities.
BP's large U.S. onshore wind business will also report to Marivela starting July 1.
BP over the past year has recruited several hundred people for its offshore wind and hydrogen businesses, two areas in which it aims to expand by 2030.
Looney on Tuesday made a major shift in BP's strategy by rowing back on plans to sharply reduce oil and gas production by the end of the decade.
The company nevertheless also plans to increase spending on renewables by $1 billion annually.
Anderson also oversaw BP's investment in Brazilian biofuel producer Bunge Bioenergia, which will now move to Nigel Dunn, senior vice president for biofuels growth, part of the customers & product division, BP said.