aberdeencity.gov.uk: City Council welcomes Shell’s expansion plans

Aberdeen City Council has today welcomed Shell UK Limited’s announcement that it plans to invest £25million in new offices in the City.

The state-of-the-art building at Tullos would house around 950 staff, securing and creating new employment in Aberdeen.

This significant commitment to the North-east and the future of the North Sea by a major player in the international oil and gas industry is seen as key to achieving the ambitions of the Aberdeen City and Shire Economic Forum (ACSEF), of which the City Council is a main partner.

The ACSEF’s vision is to promote the local area’s role “as a major centre in the world knowledge and Energy economies”.

Shell’s plans would also go a long way towards meeting the manifesto pledges of Aberdeen City Council’s ruling Lib Dem-Tory administration, by continuing to implement the diversification strategy, working to establish Aberdeen as World Energy Capital and helping to develop a long-term strategy to support the oil and gas industry in Aberdeen while promoting the Renewable Energy Industry.

Today’s announcement follows BP’s plans to build major new headquarters at Dyce, underlining the importance of the North-east’s highly skilled workforce to the international energy industry.

Aberdeen City Council leads ongoing work to attract and retain skilled workers in order to address identified skills shortages being experienced by local employers, including recruitment drives in Poland, Czech Republic and other parts of Europe.

Councillor Kate Dean, Leader of the Council, said: “Today’s announcement by Shell will help to ensure that Aberdeen remains an attractive location for international energy business, while ensuring we can help to attract the best people with the key skills that are needed to keep the oil and gas industry buoyant.

“The creation of new jobs – including in construction – would of course provide a boost for the area’s general prosperity but it would also greatly enhance the opportunities for increased business creation and development.

“This in turn would help to underpin the further growth of our successful retail, service and leisure sectors, which are so important to ensuring that the City and Shire is seen as an attractive place to live and work.”

The plans would also help to underpin the City’s ambitions for the sustainable regeneration of Torry.

For more information on the Aberdeen City and Shire Economic Forum (ACSEF) log on to http://www.local-economic-forum.com/ie/index.asp

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