ANCHORAGE — BP says it is planning to further reduce its workforce in Alaska as the state continues to struggle with low oil prices.
Dawn Patience, a spokeswoman for the oil company, told KTUU-TV on Monday that about 4 percent of the company’s workforce will be cut. Most of the affected positions are based in Anchorage.
The layoffs will take effect sometime in mid-2016, Patience said.
Patience could not say an exact number of how many jobs could be lost but a 4 percent cut could be as many as 84 positions.
The announcement comes after BP revealed plans last week to reduce the active rig count at Prudhoe Bay on Alaska’s North Slope from five to two. It also follows the company’s January announcement that it would reduce its Alaska workforce by 13 percent, or about 270 jobs.
The reductions are also being felt in other parts of the world, as BP plans to cut 4,000 jobs globally including positions in other states and the Gulf of Mexico.
BP is one of several companies with operations in Alaska that have recently announced plans to scale back operations, cut jobs or delay projects because of low oil prices. Shell and Apache Corp. are ending exploratory projects in Alaska, and ConocoPhillips has reduced its workforce in the state. Oil companies ENI, Repsol and Brooks Range Petroleum have announced project delays.
