Aberdeen-headquartered Proserv is investing in a new purpose built technology centre for subsea controls and communications in Great Yarmouth.
The move will see around 190 employees come together from two sites in the area into the new 65,000 sq ft Beacon Park site in Gorleston-on-Sea.
It features a modern office for the energy services company as well as manufacturing and yard space and has the space to add a further 20,000 sq ft of workshop capacity.
Construction will start next month with the building expected to be completed in March 2018.
David Lamont, Proserv chief executive, said: “This is great news for the whole of Proserv but especially the team in Great Yarmouth. As an established employer in the region since the 1960s, we have developed an outstanding workforce that is well recognised globally for its expertise and engineering capabilities. Investing in this new facility firmly underlines our long-term commitment to Great Yarmouth and plans for growth in the area.
“Consolidating operations into a modern purpose-built site will make us leaner, more efficient and better placed to deliver for our global customer base, whilst creating capacity for future expansion. The centre will serve as a global hub and Centre of Excellence for our subsea communication and controls activities and ensures we remain at the forefront of our field.”
Iain Smith, Proserv region president for UK and Europe, added: “The energy industry continues to seek new solutions that can enhance production and extend asset life and the technical developments in subsea controls and communications being made by our team in Great Yarmouth helps deliver those crucial efficiency gains.
“Some of the most exciting and innovative technology developments in our portfolio are in the subsea controls and communications arena and I envisage demand for our solutions and services growing further as we continue to invest in our technology, capabilities and expertise.”
Beacon Park is part of the Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft Enterprise Zone, which focuses on attracting and supporting energy-related businesses within the East of England.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council has invested £4.5m in the base, which the council is also developing, with £1.5m coming from New Anglia LEP’s Growing Places Fund.
Proserv will fund the remaining sum.
The firm recently secured over £12million in contract awards for its new-build, after-market and decommissioning services.
In May, Proserv’s Great Yarmouth team won another project award for the engineering, supply and installation of a subsea control system for the Finlaggan gas condensate development operated by Zennor Pathway in the Central North Sea.
The control system will include Proserv’s Artemis 2G subsea electronics module, which is also one of the core technologies within the company’s Augmented Control Technologies (ACT) toolkit.