A PIONEERING energy plant has continued to recruit from the North-East.

TechConsult UK has supplied seven key personnel for CompactGTL’s new Teesside testing plant.

They include operations manager Nathan James, five operators and one administrator, all from the North-East, six of them from Teesside.

CompactGTL, a specialist gasto-liquids company which focuses on oilfield developments, is creating the testing plant at The Wilton Centre, Redcar, east Cleveland.

The prototype plant will convert natural gas into synthetic crude oil, which can be reused by being mixed with conventional crude oil.

Teesside-based technical and engineering recruitment company, TechConsult, has been employed by CompactGTL to recruit specialist staff for the plant.

The plant is testing ways in which waste gas produced in the oil extraction process, both on and off-shore, can be recycled rather than wasted via flare stacks, which contribute to global warming.

Mr James, from Yarm, Teesside, said: “Instead of flaring, the associated gas is converted to synthetic crude. It can be co-mingled with the crude oil produced from the field and transported to market by means of the existing oil transportation system.

“We are promoting ourselves primarily to companies operating floating platforms, saying that they do not need to flare off and, that by using our technology, they can reduce carbon emissions and save money.”

TechConsult was selected because of its expertise in providing highly skilled personnel and also because its main office is at The Wilton Centre.

Ian Marshall, senior recruitment consultant with TechConsult, said: “We are delighted to have placed so many good people with CompactGTL.”