Scottish energy consultancy launches Houston subsidiary
Houston, Texas was chosen as the launch site for the US subsidiary of Partrac Inc – a marine consultancy with Scottish roots – specializing in conventional offshore energy as well as renewables. The subsidiary – Patrac GeoMarine Inc – offers clients the full range of consulting services provided by its Glasgow-headquartered parent company.
It is not Partrac’s first foray into US waters, having once been hired to examine the smothering of corals in Hawaii, but the consulting firm has primarily developed its offshore expertise in British and European coastal waters. Partrac secured its renewables credentials when it partnered with the Scottish government and Norwegian energy company Statoil to launch the world’s first floating wind farm in the North Sea. Partrac’s blue-chip clients Partrac have included EDF Energy Renewables, Eon, and dredging specialist DEME.
The formal announcement was saved for the Offshore Technology Conference held in Texas’ most populous city in May 2018. Although Partrac GeoMarine will bring its consulting expertise and technological nous to the conventional oil and gas sector, the Houston office’s primary focus will be on wind, wave, and tidal energy.
“Houston is the ideal US hub for Partrac GeoMarine,” said Partrac Co-Founder Sam Athey. “We wanted a city with a highly-skilled workforce that reflects the wide range of market sectors that Partrac operates in and is within easy reach of both the Gulf and East coasts of the United States.”
“We see these as having the biggest growth potential for our services and products,” he added. “Partrac has a number of unique technologies that we want to bring to the US to help solve some of the problems and answer some of the questions.”
Houston has recovered strongly from a downturn in the fossil fuel industry and the catastrophic impact of Hurricane Harvey, which lashed the Texas Gulf Coast last summer – inflicting $125 billion in damages. Today the Houston metropolitan area is home to a growing number of renewables giants, including Sunnova and Pattern Energy – among hundreds of other renewable energy companies.
