Minister Opens AMEC's New Oil & Gas Centre in Teesside

The Rt Hon Nick Brown MP has officially opened a new design and engineering centre at Lion Court, Wynyard Park, Teesside on behalf of AMEC, the international project management and services company.

One hundred and fifty highly-skilled designers have relocated from AMEC's office in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear to the new state-of-the art facilities at Wynyard Park to enable the company to further create new jobs, including posts for trainees and graduates. The number of personnel should rise to around 300 over the next year.

AMEC has been established in the North East for more than 35 years and its move to new premises in the region will enable it to meet the growing demand for its oil and gas services around the world. The company has carried out major projects in the North Sea, West Africa, US, Canada, Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Middle East and SE Asia for many of the world's top energy companies, including BP, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil and Shell. Work has included the design of offshore oil platforms, floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels and onshore petrochemical plants and refineries. AMEC is already a major employer in the Teesside region, with some 700 people located at offices in nearby Darlington, from where the company's Industrial division carries out complex power, process and utilities work across the UK for companies such as National Grid.

"We are proud to continue our investment in the North East and to help with job creation," said Neil Bruce, Chief Operating Officer, AMEC plc - Natural Resources. "Wynyard Park will become a key engineering hub for AMEC, generating prosperity for both the UK and the North East. Our team at Wynyard will work closely with our other global engineering centres to provide our clients with a consistently world-class service wherever it is needed."

AMEC and the Regional Development Agency One NorthEast have been working closely together to help secure the company's expansion into Wynyard Park.

Ian Williams, One NorthEast's Director of Business and Industry, said: "AMEC has been based in the North East for more than three decades and in that time has gone through many changes. I am delighted that our investment will help ensure the company continues to operate successfully in the region. AMEC's decision reinforces once again that the North East is the location of choice for internationally important companies. This move will help AMEC expand its business and create new skilled jobs in the region which is a key priority in the Regional Economic Strategy."

At the opening event AMEC also announced that it will be funding an Engineering Bursary Scheme for a student from Northumberland, Durham, Tyne and Wear or Teesside to attend Newcastle University, through its long association with the Community Foundation serving Tyne & Wear and Northumberland.

Rt Hon Nick Brown, Minister for the North East and MP for Newcastle East and Wallsend, said: "As a supporter of industry and education I am delighted that AMEC is staying in the North East with this world-class design and engineering centre, and is taking an active role in producing high quality and committed graduates who will be able to make a substantial contribution to our region and to the reputation of the UK."

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Posted 24/08/07

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