CLYDEBANK, Scotland, May 30 (UPI) -- The investments needed to set up a pipeline welding center in Scotland shows there's plenty of interest in its energy sector, First Minister Alex Salmond said.
Salmond attended the opening ceremony for the Global Pipeline Welding Development Center, established in Clydebank near Scotland's western coast.
The welding center will develop pipeline technologies for global oil and natural gas projects offshore. It's the culmination of a $1.2 billion investment, of which $15 million was from offshore energy contractor Subsea 7.
Salmond said the center would be a formative development for the offshore industry.
"It reinforces the fact that Scotland is leading the way when it comes to new ideas, new solutions and new developments that will help us meet the technical challenges associated with future oil and gas fields," he said in a statement.
Salmond introduced a paper last week arguing there are enough sources of income for Scotland to thrive if its citizens vote for independence from the United Kingdom next year.
The paper estimates that the Scottish oil and natural gas industry contributed about $39.5 billion to the gross domestic product in 2011. For renewables, an estimated 25 percent of the tidal and offshore wind resources in Europe lie in Scottish waters.
Salmond said Scotland lags behind other countries, however, in long-term economic growth.
