The pullback by energy giant BP from renewables and a renewed focus on high margin mainstay oil and gas plays has been relentless this year under its current CEO Murray Auchincloss who was appointed in January.

In one of his first major moves as CEO, Auchincloss revised the company’s plans to cut oil and gas production by 25% between 2019 and 2030, reversing a previous target of a 40% reduction over the same time-frame. And by June, fresh bidding for offshore wind projects was paused by the company.

It was thought at the time that BP would direct its efforts on bolstering its existing renewable portfolio, rather than bidding for new projects. However, that belief took a bit of a knock in September when the company put its U.S. onshore business – BP Wind Energy – up for sale.

At the time, BP Wind Energy had interests in ten operating onshore wind energy assets across seven U.S. states, operating nine of them. Their combined gross generating capacity came in at 1.7GW. All remain grid-connected and are currently providing power to a range of offtakers, controlled through a remote operating center in Houston.

Then last week, a Reuters report citing four sources within BP said the company was now also considering a minority stake sale in its offshore wind business. While the energy giant declined comment, the stake sale – were it to happen – would hardly come as a surprise.

The business unit currently does not have any offshore wind farms in operation, but rather stakes in projects in Germany, U.K., U.S. and a few Asian markets. Its project pipeline – while strong with a capacity of nearly 10GW – is eating into BP’s headline performance.

Last year it took and impairment of $1.1 billion related to U.S. offshore projects, and sources cited by Reuters say BP wants to reduce its share of the large capital investments required to develop these projects.

Alongside divestment pertaining the its wind power businesses, BP is reducing exposure to solar power as well. Auchincloss has already said that he would offer a stake in the company’s solar joint venture Lightsource BP once it completes its full acquisition over the coming months.

Development operations for onshore renewables will also be subsequently integrated into Lightsource BP. Despite such unsubtle shifts, BP insists its ambitions for achieving net zero by 2050 remain well and truly intact.

BP and Auchincloss’ current green transition plans include maintaining the company’s investments in biofuels and low-carbon businesses that it hopes will generate short-term returns and keep investors onside.

While it remains doubtful whether or not the company’s investors would be satisfied with its direction of travel, it is looking increasingly questionable how BP could possibly meet its oil and gas output reduction target of 25% by 2030.

And for all of Auchincloss efforts, BP’s share price was down 14% year to date at the close of trading in London on Friday as the company attempts to reconcile investors’ expectations against the rigors of the energy transition era.