A new £180 million Oil and Gas Technology Centre has been opened in Aberdeen.

The facility, which is a key part of the £250m Aberdeen City Region Deal (ACRD), is focused on becoming a hub for oil and gas technology in the UK and around the globe.

Working with a wide range of partners to accelerate the development and deployment of technologies that improve efficiency and increase productivity, the Centre will help unlock the full potential of the UK North Sea, anchor the high-value supply chain in the North-East of Scotland and make the region a great place to live, work and invest for future decades.

Initial projects will help to halve the cost of drilling wells, reduce maintenance costs by up to 50%, and unlock up to three billion barrels of oil currently stranded in small discoveries marginal fields. Digital and decommissioning are also important early themes.

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Council Leader Jenny Laing said the Centre will be "integral" to supporting the City Region Deal as well as the Regional Economic Strategy.

"Aberdeen is already a city with a global profile, but it is recognised that we need to work hard and innovate to maintain and build on that. The centre will be essential in harnessing the knowledge and expertise we have and exploring new opportunities for diversifying. It will also be crucial in ensuring the oil and gas supply chain remains anchored in Aberdeen, something which will remain the foundation of our regional economy.

"Aberdeen City Council is enthusiastic about the impact the Oil and Gas Technology Centre will make and we are delighted, through the City Region Deal, to be working in partnership to drive innovation which will support the ambitions for a vibrant future for businesses and residents."

Sir Ian Wood, Chairman of the Oil & Gas Technology Centre, added: "Substantially increasing the development and deployment of technology is vital if we are to recover as many of the 20 billion barrels of oil equivalent that could remain on the UK Continental Shelf.

"With clear long-term global aspirations, our success will provide the magnet to encourage a significant proportion of our high-tech supply chain sector to remain in the region beyond the North Sea era."

In addition, The Oil & Gas Technology Centre, The University of Aberdeen and Robert Gordon University have signed a memorandum of understanding for a multi-million pound joint venture to develop a Centre of Excellence for Field Life Extension and Decommissioning in Aberdeen.

(LM/MH)