Aker Solutions laid the foundation stone of a new plant in Paraná that will double the company's subsea production capacity in Brazil.The plant in the city of São José dos Pinhais in the Paraná state will be operational in 2015. It will replace Aker Solutions' current subsea manufacturing facility in Curitiba and double production capacity in the country.
Aker Solutions' Executive Chairman Oyvind Eriksen and Luis Araujo, president and country manager of the company's Brazilian operations, took part in a ceremony laying the foundation stone at the new site.
"Brazil is a very important market for Aker Solutions and this new plant will strengthen our subsea offering," said Araujo.
The new facility will have about 1200 employees and generate work for an additional 5000 people at suppliers. The plant will be built on a plot of land totaling 168,220 sq m.
Aker Solutions is expanding its manufacturing capacity after winning a contract in April to deliver subsea equipment to the Brazilian oil company Petrobras. The contract, worth NOK 4.6 billion (USD 800 million), is for 60 well-sets with vertical subsea trees, subsea control systems, tools and spares to be used at Petrobras' deepwater pre-salt field developments in Brazil.
"The forecasts for the Brazilian oil and gas industry are very promising and we are committed to developing our manufacturing capabilities and local content," says Araujo.
Aker Solutions last year started building a new multi-purpose service site for its drilling equipment business in Macaé, 180 km northeast of Rio de Janeiro. The facility, set to open in 2014, will expand the company's capacity to serve the fast-growing drilling market in Brazil. Aker Solutions is also located in Rio de Janeiro and Rio das Ostras in Brazil.
Aker Solutions, established in Brazil since 1978, currently employs 1400 people in the country. The company is a leading provider of subsea equipment and services in Brazil's offshore pre-salt market. It also delivers downstream and topside process technology, offshore mooring and loading systems, deepwater drilling systems and subsea intervention services.
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