Energy firm GDF Suez Exploration and Production (E&P) UK said today it was looking for new offices in the Aberdeen area to support growth in the North Sea.
The firm, which has had offices in the Granite City’s Union Plaza for the past two years, has also appointed a new UK boss as it looks to spend more than £1billion in the UK North Sea during the current decade.
Its promotion of Mike Robertson to development and operations manager will see him lead projects including the £1.6billion Cygnus development, which was bought by GDF in 2006 and is due to come on stream in 2015.
Mr Robertson joined the business in 2008, having previously worked in engineering and project management positions at service companies and operators including BP and Talisman Energy.
He replaces Andreas Frank, who has taken a job with GDF Suez in Germany.
“This is an extremely exciting time for GDF Suez E&P in the UK, said Mr Robertson, adding: “We have an optimistic view of the North Sea.
“There are many opportunities for operators that are prepared to invest and look at innovative ways to extract value from mature or previously unviable assets.
“The move to new and larger premises underlines our commitment to Aberdeen and will enable all our teams to work under one roof, while giving us capacity for further growth.”
Cygnus is said to be the largest undeveloped gas field in the southern North Sea, with 42million barrels of oil equivalent.
Other current GDF Suez E&P UK projects include the Juliet gas field in the Southern North Sea, which is expected to get project sanction in 2012.
The firm was offered a further tranche of exploration rights, for UK North Sea blocks 44 and 47, in the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s 26th licensing round.
GDF Suez E&P UK is a subsidiary of French utility giant GDF Suez, employing more than 100 people in Aberdeen among a 230-strong UK workforce.
It has interests in 16 producing fields and more than 40 licenses in the UK North Sea, 15 as operator.
A spokesman was unable to say where in Aberdeen the group was looking to move to, or how many jobs may be created.
An investor day in September was told the UK business had spent about £1billion in the 13 years between 1997 and 2010, and that it would be spending the same again in the current decade.
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