Bangalore: The world's third largest integrated oil company by market capitalisation, Royal Dutch Shell, is setting up a technology centre in Bangalore that will deliver high-end technical studies, projects and services for Shell across the globe as well as supporting interests in India.

"Bangalore will be the location for our latest technology centre. Currently, Shell has major research and development facilities in Houston (U.S.) and at Rijswijk and Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Bangalore will be the third key location for Royal Dutch Shell technology," the company's India chief has said.

The services will span upstream exploration and production activities as well as downstream refinery and chemical operations. Shell Technology India (STI) will also provide access to cutting-edge Indian talent.

"This centre will commence as an equal player in Shell global technical networks, fully integrated in their work programmes. This centre aims to be world class, capable of producing leading-edge technical solutions to meet critical business challenges and to develop products that will be key to the future of the energy business," said Vikram Singh Mehta, Chairman, Shell Companies in India.

The centre is due to open in the second half of 2006 and will move to a purpose-built campus in 2009.

The attraction and retention of top Indian technical talent has been a major driver in establishing STI, and the company aims to grow to over 1,000 people as quickly as the business will allow. Bangalore has been selected as the base since the city has become a centre of Indian science and technology development and offers an inspiring environment for top talent to work and live.

The new technology centre will contribute to the oil industry knowledge infrastructure in India. It will also look to establish close links with industry and academia. As part of this programme Shell is starting a joint project with the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, in the area of seismic processing as well as discussing different projects with other IITs.

FDI share

Shell has made the largest foreign direct investment in India among all integrated oil companies (around U.S. $1 billion) and is the only global major to have a licence to run retail petroleum outlets in India.

It currently has interests in natural gas in the form of liquefied natural gas or LNG, lubricants, LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) and automobile fuel retailing in India.

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