ConocoPhillips to build global R&D and training center
Metro Denver’s burgeoning energy economy got another boost when Houston-based ConocoPhillips announced plans on February 20, 2008 to establish a new Global Technology and Corporate Learning Center at the former Storage Technology campus in Louisville, CO.
ConocoPhillips, the country’s third-largest energy company and number five on Fortune magazine’s top 500 companies list, recently purchased the 432-acre site for $55.6 million.
The company will raze and rebuild the campus to make way for a global technology center that will be the hub for its research and development in making liquid fuels from renewable sources. ConocoPhillips will also create a worldwide learning center at the site where it will bring thousands of employees each year to train on new energy technology applications.
The new campus will be operational by 2012. Local economic development groups feel the company will make a significant investment in human capital at the site as well.
“We don’t know how many will be employed, but given the size of the land, this could be the largest economic development project in the history of the state and potentially employ thousands,” explained Tom Clark, executive vice president of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation.
“With announcements by Vestas Blades, Ascent Solar, and AVA Solar, and a recent visit by a large delegation of Spanish renewable energy companies, we feel Metro Denver and Colorado will be the focus nationally and internationally for future investment and jobs in energy,” Clark added. Company officials narrowed in on Metro Denver because of its close proximity to Denver International Airport as well as its vast intellectual and research resources.
“When you look at the institutions here – the National Renewable energy Laboratory, Colorado School of Mines, CU, CSU, and DU—those sorts of central research and education centers contributed to the attractiveness of this site,” said Perry Pearce, manager of state and government affairs for ConocoPhillips in an interview with The Denver Post.
Colorado Governor Bill Ritter hailed the announcement as another demonstration of Colorado’s emerging position as a leader in the New Energy Economy. “ConocoPhillips recognizes that fossil fuels will be part of our energy future for years to come. They are building a bridge to the future by investing in new, cleaner technologies and in renewable energy.”
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