Construction is well underway on the newest GE Global Research Center location in Oklahoma City.
The Oil & Gas Technology Center is the first of GE’s research centers to be focused solely on innovation in a single sector – the oil and gas industry. The building is scheduled to be occupied in mid-2016.
Since the May 12, 2014 groundbreaking, 30 percent of the construction has been completed, according to OGTC Operations Manager Russell Fray. Construction is underway on three of the five stories in the 125,000-square-foot main building and foundation work is nearing completion on the three-story parking garage.
The main building contains 10,000 square feet of lab space centered on two test wells that will allow researchers to test equipment in simulated well conditions. The test wells are each 20 inches in diameter; one test well is 400 feet deep and the other is 60 feet deep. The lab space also includes a five-story high bay with two 30-ton overhead cranes. In addition, the facility includes a 10,000-square-foot outdoor laboratory area.
Also planned for the main building are dedicated customer collaboration conference rooms, a 10,000-square-foot showroom, a GE and customer conference center, and two floors of GE office space. These features will help realize GE’s vision for a customer-focused, collaborative research environment to accelerate the commercialization of new technology for the Oil & Gas industry.
A global hub for Oil & Gas industry innovation, the new Tech Center will be a showcase in environmental stewardship, too. The parking garage will have approximately 280 spaces including several reserved for electric vehicle plug-in stations. Once complete, the building will receive a LEED – Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design – certification. There is room for two additional buildings on the 8-acre site in the future.
While these plans move forward, there are about 60 GE employees working for the OGTC in temporary offices in downtown Oklahoma City.
Work at the OGTC will focus on accelerating mid- to late-state oil and gas technologies developed in GE’s Global Research labs. Those technologies include production systems, well construction, water use optimization, CO2 solutions, and energy systems.
The site’s location in Oklahoma City puts it in close proximity to Oil & Gas customers.
