BP Sets Up New Tech Center in Pune, India

New Delhi, Jan 17 (PTI) BP Plc on Wednesday said it will set up a new centre of technical excellence in Pune that will provide engineering and other technical support to global operations of the London-based oil major.

The centre will employ more than 400 staff in 2024, which will be scaled up to over 1,000 over a multi-year period, the firm said in a statement.

BP said it "plans to set up BP Technical Solutions India (bp TSI) - a major new centre for its global technical and engineering expertise - in Pune, India. The BP-owned and operated centre will build on BP's existing engineering and technical strengths to deliver high quality services to its hydrocarbons and new energy businesses worldwide."

The centre, it said, is expected to open in the second quarter of 2024 and the first job postings were announced on December 1, 2023. "When fully operational, it is expected to employ more than 400 people by the end of 2024 and continue to grow in the subsequent years."

As part of its set-up, BP has also appointed Molyama Kromah as Head of BP Technical Solutions India, based in Pune.

Formerly based in Mumbai, India, Kromah had been leading the production and operations activities for the gas business for the last four years in the firm's joint venture with Reliance Industries Ltd. Kromah has more than 20 years' experience in BP, including various leadership and technical roles in Trinidad, Egypt and London.

"BP TSI intends to provide technical services across a range of areas, including engineering, maintenance, optimization, data processes, projects, and subsurface," the statement said.

The company is also looking at other growth areas within the operation.

With more than a million engineering graduates each year, Pune is home to numerous engineering and technical colleges, offering access to a diverse and rich talent pool. Pune is also home to BP's global business solutions centre and innovation and engineering digital hub, which has played a critical role in the transformation of the company's business processes.

Senior vice president for BP Solutions Giovanni Cristofoli said: "As BP works to reinvent itself and reimagine energy, we are excited to be accelerating the transformation of how we do engineering in BP.

"India's large technical talent pool and successful track record of establishing global capability centres across a broad range of industries positions it as an ideal destination for the hub. bp will benefit from accessing talent across all engineering disciplines to meet our current and future demand."

BP regional president and head of country Sashi Mukundan added: "This is a significant step forward for bp in India. The centre will allow us to provide innovative solutions for BP worldwide as we tap into India's diverse and skilled workforce and expand our footprint in the country."

In India, BP has a stake in Reliance Industries' eastern offshore gas block. The two firms have also joined hands to create a major retail, aviation fuels and mobility alliance, Jio-bp.

BP's activities in India also include Castrol lubricants, oil and gas trading, clean energy projects through Lightsource bp, a new global business services center and digital hub.

TSI aims to provide high quality technical services to BP's hydrocarbons and new energy businesses worldwide, to deliver safe, affordable and lower emission energy, while continuously innovating.