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For the trade press
New Test Center Groundbreaking in Duisburg
Siemens invests EUR90 million in the Emerging Oil and Gas Market
Duisburg 2006-05-15
One of the world’s largest and most modern centers for the assembly and testing of compressor trains for use in oil and gas industry megaplants is to be built in Duisburg, Germany. Siemens Power Generation (PG) is investing some EUR90 million in this facility. At the groundbreaking ceremony, North-Rhine Westphalia’s Minister of Economics Christa Thoben received strong support from the Mayor of Duisburg, Adolf Sauerland, and from Klaus Voges, chairman of the managing board of Siemens PG.
“With this investment, Siemens is demonstrating its commitment to the
company’s Duisburg location and, at the same time, positioning itself as
one of the leading vendors in the emerging oil and gas market,” stated
Voges. By the year 2030, experts at the International Energy Agency
(IEA) anticipate a need for investment of approximately USD 3 trillion
in the gas industry alone. “In the face of the rapidly increasing
worldwide demand for energy, we see a growing demand for large-scale
compressor solutions rated at over 80 megawatts (MW). At the same time,
our customers in the oil and gas industry attribute top priority to the
safety and reliability of these plants. Establishing the new test center
will open up decisive competitive advantages,” added Voges.
In the words of Christa Thoben, Minister of Economic Affairs of North
Rhine-Westphalia: "This investment plays a part in ensuring that North
Rhine-Westphalia will continue to be the world’s leading development
region for leading-edge energy technology. The new center is an
important step forward towards our goal of increased usage of natural
gas and alternative fuels to reduce dependence on mineral oil.
" The dynamic development of the oil and gas market is driving growth in
the demand for large-scale compressor trains; petroleum is becoming
scarce and thus more expensive. Using gas-to-liquids (GTL) processes,
natural gas is converted to a clean liquid fuel. Concurrently, refinery
plant concepts are being upscaled to enable processing of increasing
amounts of feedstocks. In the future, oil and gas recovery will take
place at increasingly remote locations and under more challenging
conditions. Liquefaction of natural gas and shipping as LNG to consumer
countries is therefore gaining importance compared to pipeline
transport.
The new test center will be built on a 62,000 square meter site located
directly adjacent to the existing Siemens PG manufacturing facility in
Duisburg Hochfeld. The new building will be 220 meters long, 40 meters
wide and 35 meters high. Completion of the plant is scheduled for June
2007 with commercial operation planned for August 2007. It will then be
possible to simultaneously assemble and test as many as eight
large-scale compressor trains, including their drives. This investment
increases the competitiveness of Siemens PG in the growing oil and gas
business and thus secures employment at the Duisburg manufacturing
plant. Furthermore, this large project could add up to 150 new jobs in
the test center and in fabrication.
Some 2,000 employees, including about 200 trainees, are employed
at the headquarters of the Siemens Industrial Applications division in
Duisburg. This facility concentrates on activities relating to
compressor manufacturing. The center of competency with complete
solutions for the oil and gas industry and the division’s worldwide
service center are also located here.
The Power Generation Group (PG) of Siemens AG is one of the premier
companies in the international power generation sector.
In fiscal year 2005 (that ended on September 30), Siemens PG
recorded sales of some EUR 8.1 billion and received orders totaling EUR
11 billion. Group profit amounted to
EUR 951 million. On September 30, 2005,
PG had a work force of approximately 33.500 worldwide.
For further information visit:
 http://www.powergeneration.siemens.com/home/.
| Reference number:
PG 200605044e |
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Press Office Power
Generation
Alfons Benzinger
P.O.Box 32 20, 91050 Erlangen, Germany
Phone: +49-9131 18-7034; Fax: -7039
E-mail:
alfons.benzinger@siemens.com |
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