Tuesday 4 April 2017

Scottish subsea research centre secures £16m

A new Centre of Excellence for subsea development in Scotland has secured £16 million in funding.

Oil and gas consultancy and research firm TÜV SÜD Limited (NEL) is investing £11.1 million in the new facility in East Kilbride, which it hopes will make a significant contribution to underwater engineering and innovation in the oil and gas industry.

Scottish Enterprise has also contributed £4.9 million through a research and development grant.

The centre will test oil flows in high pressure pipes, with a test range "beyond anything currently available anywhere else in the world."

NEL says the technology will enable it to provide world leading fluid flow technical services to the global oil & gas production market for the next 25 years.

The centre, which will be built over the next two years, is also expected to provide opportunities for company-led industrial projects, development work with small and medium-sized enterprises, industry training and academic research.

Managing Director of Strategy and Sectors at Scottish Enterprise, Linda Hanna, said: "This new facility will offer research facilities and a breadth of capability unmatched anywhere else in the world, supporting Scotland’s oil & gas sector to maximise its global competitiveness and position Scotland as a global leader in multiphase flow measurement."

A new underwater robot travels like a sea snake to help inspect and repair offshore pipelines and oil rigs.