Technip has been awarded by Shell U.K. Limited an engineering, procurement, installation and construction contract for the Gannet F Reinstatement project, located in the North Sea, 180 kilometers east of Aberdeen, at a water depth of 95 meters.

The contract concerns the replacement of the Gannet F flowline(1) at the Gannet Alpha Platform and covers the:

• fabrication and pipelay of an 11.8 kilometre pipe-in-pipe,

• installation of a 4.5” gas lift pipeline,

• trenching and installation of an 11.9 kilometer umbilical(2).

Technip’s operating center in Aberdeen, Scotland will execute the contract, which is scheduled to be completed in the second semester of 2013. The Group’s spoolbase in Evanton, Scotland, will fabricate the pipe-in-pipe and DUCO Limited, Technip’s wholly-owned subsidiary in Newcastle, England, will manufacture the umbilical. Technip’s pipelay vessel, Apache II, will be used for the offshore campaign.

Yokogawa Electric Corporation is pleased to announce that its subsidiary Yokogawa Europe Solutions B.V. has been awarded a contract by GDF SUEZ E&P UK Ltd to supply the integrated control and safety systems (ICSS) for its new Cygnus Development Project, following on from recent North Sea contract awards from a number of major oil and gas companies.

Under the contract, Yokogawa Europe Solutions B.V. will supply the complete ICSS comprising of the following systems: process control, process shutdown, emergency shutdown, fire & gas detection (complete with associated field devices), process data historian, and field device asset management. The ICSS will feature Yokogawa's CENTUM VP process automation system, ProSafe-RS safety system, Exaquantum production management solution, and PRM asset management package. Yokogawa Europe Solutions B.V. will also be supplying an operator training system (OTS) utilizing the OmegaLand advanced operator simulation environment.

The ICSS will be distributed across the Cygnus complex, which currently consists of a total of four greenfield offshore platforms. Three platforms are bridge linked (Alpha WHP, PU, and UQ) and a second remote drilling centre is located on the fourth platform (Bravo WHP). The planned export route is through the ETS pipeline system to the Perenco Bacton Gas Terminal in North Norfolk.

The Cygnus gas field has 18 billion m3 in proven and probable reserves and is situated within UK Continental Shelf blocks 44/12a and 44/11a. The field is operated by GDF SUEZ, which also owns a 38.75% stake. Centrica has a 48.75% interest and Bayerngas holds the remaining 12.5%. Production is expected to start from the new facilities in late 2015. The field is expected to meet demand for nearly one and a half million homes at peak production, accounting for around 5% of the UK's gas production.

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and KH-Automation Projects GmbH, a subsidiary of Koop Holding Group and long term strategic partner of Mitsubishi Electric, announced by mutual agreement that Mitsubishi Electric will acquire 100% share of KH-Automation. This strategic acquisition brings together two partners who have enjoyed a close working relationship over the past 12 years.

The complimentary combination of KH-Automation Projects market leading PMSX®pro Distributed Control System, knowledge in water and power generation applications as well as project management experience with the development power and global market reach of Mitsubishi Electric is expected to create strong growth opportunities for both companies.

Hartmut Puetz, President of Mitsubishi Electric Factory Automation Europe commented "KH-Automation is a respected and well managed company which shows in the success they have enjoyed in the water and power generation markets. The PMSX®pro DCS has totally integrated Mitsubishi Electric's automation throughout its DNA and this combination of KH-Automation's knowhow and our hardware has resulted in a robust and market leading solution."

Manfred Pfaar, Managing Director of KH-Automation Projects added "We are very excited about the future business together with Mitsubishi Electric. We already have a strong working relationship and we expect a closer collaboration will generate many new opportunities."

Rotork p.l.c., the market leading actuator manufacturer and flow control company, today announces the acquisition of the entire share capital of the operating companies of the Schischek group of companies (“Schischek”). Schischek is a leader in the design, manufacture and sale of explosion-proof electric actuators, principally for the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (“HVAC”) market place.

Schischek was founded by Alexander Schischek and has its main sites in Langenzenn near Nuremberg in Southern Germany and Lutzenberg in Switzerland. The acquisition will enhance Rotork’s existing range of explosion-proof actuators and provide Rotork with exposure to an attractive new end market.

The purchase price is €41 million which will be paid using cash reserves and committed bank facilities. Rotork will also be assuming net debt of €1.3m. The sum of €4.1 million will be held in escrow for 12 months as security for warranties under the sale agreements. Schischek’s operating profit in 2012 is expected to be around €5.5 million.

Schischek will become part of Rotork’s Controls division. Roland Graf, the current Managing Director of Schischek, will remain in his role following the acquisition.

Commenting on the acquisition Peter France, Chief Executive, said:

“Schischek is an excellent addition to Rotork’s Controls division. Schischek’s explosion-proof products, which are highly regarded for their quality and reliability, will enhance our range of electric actuators and enlarge our addressable market.”