Pioneering company heads to Wilton Centre
June 2010
Specialist gas-to-liquids company CompactGTL, which has developed a novel method to solve the problem of associated gas emitted from remote and deepwater oilfields, is transferring operations to The Wilton Centre.
The company is moving its research and development laboratory in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, to join its other operations at its pilot plant, supported by an £85,000 grant from One North East and the Tees Valley Industrial Programme.
Grant support will help create ten jobs, adding to the company’s 32-strong workforce, and purchase new equipment as the firm looks to step up the testing capabilities of its process – due to go to market by 2013.
Chief Executive Nicholas Gay, said: “We are delighted that we are able to consolidate our operations at The Wilton Centre site which will provide highly skilled jobs in the area.”
The current issue with oilfield developments is that there is a variable release of natural gas when oil is produced. The solution has been to either re-inject the gas back into the field or to flare the gas, which is becoming less acceptable from a political and environmental viewpoint.
Compact GTL’s new technology will convert the gas through compact catalytic reactors into synthetic crude oil, which can then be co-mingled and transported with the natural crude oil.