Intertek Expands Presence in Western Canada to Address Growing Demand for Industry Testing and Certification
13 Dec 2010
Expansion into strategic exploration and production regions now provides local, expert service to Western Canada’s oil and gas industry.
Arlington Heights, IL – Intertek, a leading provider of quality and safety solutions serving a wide range of industries around the world, today announced the expansion of its hazardous locations certification services with a new location in Edmonton, Alberta. Increased capacity and a local presence will allow Intertek to address the growing demand for this specialized testing and certification across Alberta and Western Canada.
The need for hazardous locations testing and certification has continued to steadily increase in this region, as Alberta is heavily populated with oil sands and natural gas resources where products and equipment often must meet strict requirements in order to be used. The Edmonton office is a strategic expansion because it enables Intertek to provide local service to existing clients in this region, engage new companies, and provide additional solutions to the local energy industry.
“The new Edmonton location strengthens Intertek’s position in certifying products for use in hazardous locations and adds to our existing capabilities in Plano, Texas and Cortland, New York, as well as in the U.K.” says Patricia Pasemko, Hazardous Locations Business Service Leader for Intertek’s Commercial and Electric division. “The expansion demonstrates Intertek’s commitment to providing clients fast, expert, and local service, and brings our industry-leading portfolio of testing, inspection and certification solutions to a region with growing demand.”
Intertek provides testing and certification of products and equipment intended for use in potentially explosive or hazardous locations to applicable North American and international standards, including the ATEX Directive and IECEx Scheme.
Testing and certification is just one part of Intertek’s portfolio of services offered to the oil and gas and energy industry. According to the 2010 International Energy Outlook by the U.S. Energy Information Association (EIA), world energy consumption is expected to rise 49 percent from 2007 to 2035, of which traditional fossil fuel sources continue to make up the top three energy producers, trending upwards far beyond 2035¹. The EIA report indicates the Alberta oil sands are expected to be a major contributor to future liquid fuel production.
Investors are quick to capitalize on these opportunities – in September 2010, the Alberta oil and gas land sales reached $2 billion, surpassing the 2005 record with a full quarter remaining in the year. “Intertek is well positioned to support the growing Alberta energy market with the addition of local facilities to assist manufacturers that need to have their products and equipment tested and certified for use in hazardous areas,” says Joe Keating, Vice President, Canadian Operations of Intertek’s Oil, Chemical and Agriculture division.
In addition to hazardous locations testing and certification services, Intertek provides its clients with a full range of offerings for the oil and gas and energy industry across Canada and around the world. “Intertek’s Oil, Chemical and Agriculture and Industrial Services divisions provide exploration and production services, refining support, asset integrity management services, reliability engineering and much more,” adds Keating.
For more information on Intertek’s hazardous locations certification services visit:
https://www.intertek.com/hazardous-locations/
For more information on Intertek’s Alberta oil sands services visit:
https://www.intertek.com/upstream/tar-sands/
Contact
Nicole Monaco
Field Marketing Manager
Intertek, Commercial & Electric
972-202-8802
nicole.monaco@intertek.com
About Intertek
Intertek is a leading provider of quality and safety solutions serving a wide range of industries around the world. Intertek is accredited as a Nationally Recognized Test Laboratory (NRTL) by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) and by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS). From auditing and inspection, to testing, quality assurance and certification, Intertek people are dedicated to adding value to customers' products and processes, supporting their success in the global marketplace. Intertek has the expertise, resources and global reach to support its customers through its network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices and over 26,000 people in over 100 countries around the world. Intertek Group plc (ITRK) is listed on the London Stock Exchange in the FTSE 100 index. www.intertek.com
¹ http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/ieo/highlights.html
² Land Lust in Alberta, pg. 13, Canadian Business, volume 83 issue 19, November 22, 2010