GE Oil & Gas opens new support base in Takoradi Port [photos]

General Electric (GE), a US based oil and gas company specialized in deep water offshore services in the oil and gas sector has opened its newly Sub Saharan facility at the Takoradi Port in the Western Region.

The facility, according to the company will provide support services for its customer operations.

In 2015, GE was awarded a $850 million contract for the supply of subsea elements for the ENI's Offshore Cape Three Point block.

In line with that, the company sought to establish a 1,600 square meter indoor test area at the Takoradi port to facilitate the fast assembling and testing of critical subsea trees (Christmas Trees) needed for the OCTP project.

Before it's commissioning on Wednesday the facility had come on stream already deploying some of the components needed by ENI.

Speaking at the commissioning of the facility at the port, president and CEO of GE Oil and Gas Lorenzo Simonelli noted that “the opening of the Takoradi facility demonstrates our commitment to developing local partnerships and capacity building to deliver effective and efficient solutions for our customers…We are committed to partnering Ghana to help support build critical skills and developing infrastructure for Ghana's growth”.

Deputy Minister of Energy and MP for the Effia Constituency in the Western Region Joseph Cudjoe expressed satisfaction at work done and pledged government support for companies with genuine interest of doing genuine business in the country.

He however reminded companies in the oil and gas company to respect the local content provisions in the LI 2204 and “must not see it as an upfront to your businesses but a challenge that will help sharpen the skills of locals for inclusive growth”.

In line with the local content provisions, GE Oil and Gas has recruited more than 30 Ghanaians to work at the new facility including two-fully trained field service engineers who are working offshore to support the installation phase of the OCTP project.

Other dignitaries that were present at the commissioning were the US Ambassador to Ghana Ambassador Robert Jackson, president and CEO of Sub Saharan Africa GE Oil & Gas and other high profile persons locally and abroad.

GE Oil and Gas prides itself as having the skills, knowledge and technical expertise to bring together the physical and digital worlds to fuel the future.

It's also the world's Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive.

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By: Obrempong Yaw Ampofo/citifmonline.com/Ghana