An oil and gas flow measurement specialist has started building a £16 million subsea research and development centre in Scotland.

NEL expects its Centre of Excellence (CoE) to allow a greater understanding of the impact of higher operating pressures on measurement equipment in extreme subsea environments.

Work will cover a range of different technologies and the facility is expected to possess the largest test range of operating pressures, temperatures and flowrates in the world.

The CoE will also be home to company-led industrial projects, practical industry training and academic research.

Scottish Enterprise has provided £4.9 million of funding for the project, with £11.1 million coming from parent company TÜV SÜD AG.

Managing Director of Strategy and Sectors at Scottish Enterprise, Linda Hanna, said: “This is a fantastic milestone in the development of NEL’s Centre of Excellence, which will create world-leading research facilities.

“It will enable Scotland to maximise its competitiveness in multi-phase flow measurement and support the sector to take further advantage of opportunities in the £50 billion global subsea market.”