GDF Suez Exploration and Production (E&P) UK plans to move to new headquarters in Aberdeen amid continued growth at the French-owned energy company.
Property developer Miller Cromdale said yesterday it had lodged a planning application for the new site in North Esplanade West.
GDF is poised to sign a 15-year lease for the 40,000 square-foot office building, which is expected to house about 150 employees and contractors by 2014 – when the firm moves in – and up to 200 longer-term.
Currently, GDF employs 120 people across three sites in Aberdeen.
The new headquarters will replace offices in Union Plaza, Holburn House and City Wharf, putting staff under one roof.
GDF Suez E&P UK managing director Jean-Claude Perdigues said the new HQ underlined the company’s ongoing commitment to the UK North Sea. He added: “This development comes only a few years after establishing a UK operations base in Union Plaza.”
Construction work on the new building is expected to start in October.
Miller Cromdale development director Pamela Grant said: “North Esplanade West is a prime office location, offering views across the River Dee, and we are confident this base will be a key base for GDF Suez E&P UK’s operations.
“With further detailed (planning) consent for more than 250,000sqft in the area, we look forward to further developments.”
Paris-based GDF Suez is one of the leading energy providers in the world and employs about 220,000 people globally.
On its arrival in Aberdeen in 2009, the company said it aimed to become an important producer in the UK North Sea and would play a significant role in its future development and longevity.
It announced its intention to find a new Granite City base earlier this year, saying it needed more space to support growth in the North Sea.
The firm also appointed a new development and operations manager, Mike Robertson, to lead UK projects and said it aimed to spend more than £1billion in the UK during the current decade.
Its UK assets include the £1.6billion southern North Sea Cygnus development, which is due to come on stream in 2015.
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