Raymond Pirie, vice president for Intertek’s global upstream business in the lab

Intertek, the global provider of quality and safety services, has invested £15 million in new Aberdeen headquarters for its energy services operation.

Intertek will move in phases to the 41,000 square feet North Point building on the Energy Park in Bridge of Don with the first service line now based there and 160 employees to relocate by March 2012.

The company has signed a 20 year lease and is investing more than £4.5 million in state-of-the art laboratories which are currently being renovated along with top range research and development, testing and training facilities.

Raymond Pirie, vice president for Intertek’s global upstream business said the move to bring energy services under one roof would strengthen Intertek’s integrated offering, delivering further value to clients.

He says, “Intertek has experienced significant growth in upstream services following a number of high profile acquisitions and our new headquarters will bring all that expertise together. We are investing significantly to create a centre of excellence to support the exploration and production market and will be actively recruiting engineers, chemists and technical experts.”

First to move into the new building is Intertek Smith Rea Energy, which specialises in hydrocarbon accounting, working with clients such as BP, Shell, ExxonMobil, Nexen, Wintershall and Dong Energy. The team tracks the ownership of oil and gas from the point of production to the point of sale.

Other services that will be based at North Point in the future include: production and integrity assurance; chemometric modelling; calibration and metering, measurement allocation, consulting and training, dimensional control and renewable energy.

Mr Pirie adds, “From reservoir to refinery, we offer a complete package of testing and certification solutions to help clients maximise production and reduce risk. The investment we are making in our laboratories and facilities underlines our commitment to providing clients with the highest quality support.”