Press Release

Gulf Welding Expertise Soars as Institut de Soudure Joins QSTP

Doha, 29 November 2006 - Institut de Soudure, the national French welding institute, announced today that it will establish a centre of excellence in welding technology at Qatar Science & Technology Park.  The centre will undertake research, training and expert services to help safely build the region's many coming oil and gas projects, where welding and metallurgy can account for more than half of the project cost.

Institut de Soudure, which celebrated its one hundredth birthday last year, has been active in Qatar since 2003 overseeing welding on the 370 km Dolphin pipeline from Qatar to the United Arab Emirates.  With another $133 billion of projects still to come in Qatar over the next five years the institute will move its international headquarters for oil and gas related research to the Gulf state.

Institut de Soudure will invest around EUR 12 million over the first five years in its Qatar Science & Technology Park facility, and expects a staff of 30 within two years.  The centre will develop and commercialise next-generation testing technologies such as "time of flight diffraction", a safer alternative to radiography, which has never been used in the oil and gas sector before.

It will also utilise its worldwide staff of 500 scientists and engineers to train welders and non-destructive testing inspectors, provide professional services to industry, and contribute to the development of national welding standards in the Gulf.

"We are seeing strong demand for our technology and services in the Gulf not just because of the many petroleum projects coming up, but also because of the growing focus on safety and quality" said Andre Protin, Institut de Soudure's Business & International Manager.  "Qatar Science & Technology Park was the perfect location for our technology centre because of its links with excellent universities and premises which can support our sophisticated labs".

Dr. Eulian Roberts, Chief Executive of Qatar Science & Technology Park, said "Qatar Foundation is striving to be a centre for industrial research as well as academic research.  Institut de Soudure's activities at the science park will significantly contribute to this vision, particularly through the transfer of technology and know-how to the people of Qatar.  We warmly welcome the institute and look forward to a successful partnership".

Mohammed Benzaria
Institut de Soudure
m.benzaria@institutdesoudure.com
Tel : +974 513 1893

Ben Figgis
Qatar Science & Technology Park
bfiggis@qstp.org.qa
Tel: +974 492 7130