IN a major demonstration of commitment to the future of the North Sea oil and gas industry and Aberdeen, BP has given the go-ahead for a new GBP45m headquarters in the city.
The office complex will be built by developers Akeler on the 15-acre Stoneywood Business Centre site adjacent to the company's existing building in Dyce.
It will provide a single location for the company's 1000 staff who are based in the 31year-old original building at Dyce and other offices on the same site.
The complex will be the headquarters for BP's exploration and production activities in the UK, Norway and the Netherlands. Work is expected to be completed in 2007, and it is estimated that around 300 jobs will be created during the construction period. Dave Blackwood, director for BP's North Sea business, said the decision demonstrated the company's long-term commitment to the North Sea and to Aberdeen.
"Our North Sea business will remain an integral and important part of the BP Group's activities for many years to come. To emphasise this, earlier this year we announced capital and operating investments in the UK North Sea of almost GBP4bn over the next four years.
"The announcement of a new office complex to support our activities here is further demonstration of our longterm commitment to this area.
"With new ways of working and dramatic improvements in technology BP is continuing to find and develop new opportunities in the North Sea. We will continue to be a major employer and play an active part in the community, here at our Aberdeen HQ and in our other North Sea operational sites. It is therefore important that we have an appropriate standard of office accommodation to support our future activities."
James Cole, chief executive of Akeler, said that by working together they would have the opportunity to design and create a dynamic office headquarters which reflected BP's status as a world-class business.
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