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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

GE to Build $110 Million Oil And Gas Global Research Center in Oklahoma

04/03/2013
General Electric plans to build a $110 million Global Research Center in Oklahoma, which will be dedicated to driving innovation and technological advancements in the oil and gas sector and bringing products to market faster. The new facility, which is GE Research’s first sector-specific Center, will initially create 125 high-tech engineering jobs, ranging from mechanical and electrical to systems and software engineering.

The company noted Oklahoma City is home to GE Oil & Gas’s Artificial Lift business, with more than 550 GE employees. The search for a specific site for the new center is underway and expected to be completed soon, officials said. GE is currently evaluating locations that will help the company capitalize on the renowned academic institutions, including the University of Oklahoma, as well as the skilled workforce in the Oklahoma City area.

Mark Little, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, GE said, “The ability to access substantial new oil and gas resources will require significant investments in new technology over the next decade. At GE, we’re meeting this challenge head on, investing more than $10 billion annually across the company to launch new products and build global capability. This new Center is another step in that commitment and helping create the next generation of technologies, which will make this ‘unconventional’ energy source conventional and ‘sustainable.”

Daniel C. Heintzelman, President and CEO, GE Oil & Gas said, “The creation of the new Center, in close proximity to many of our customers, will allow us to accelerate the development of new technologies and enable GE to deliver even more advanced solutions to our customers faster.”

GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt and Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin noted the new Center comes as the availability of unconventional resources, such as shale gas, is changing the global energy landscape and has the potential to create jobs, fuel innovation and lead to greater energy independence. The Center will initially focus on technologies that enable safe, efficient and reliable production, delivery and use of unconventional oil and gas.

“Unconventional resources, and shale gas in particular, may be one of the biggest productivity drivers of our lifetime,” said GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt. “At GE, we see a tremendous opportunity in the oil and gas space. Collaboration is key to leading the unconventional resource revolution, and in Governor Fallin and the people of Oklahoma, we’ve found excellent partners.”

Gov. Fallin said, “In Oklahoma, we know that America’s energy security and economic well-being demand more domestic energy production. Technology continues to be the key to unlocking new energy resources and effectively utilizing those we have already discovered. I am thrilled that GE, with its rich history of innovation, has chosen Oklahoma as the home for these new technologies.”

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