Private engineering consulting firm Hatch Ltd. has rounded out its oil and gas portfolio with the acquisition of Upside Engineering Ltd. a midstream engineering and design services company.

John Bianchini, Hatch chief executive, said together the two companies will take on and solve the toughest oil and gas challenges, from consultancy and feasibility through to operations, to serve the entire value chain.

“We look forward to bringing positive change to the oil and gas industry by leveraging Hatch's unique blend of technology and process excellence in upstream and downstream oil and gas, combined with Upside Engineering's proven track record of delivering midstream projects,” he said.

The combined operations in Alberta will also accelerate the recent growth of oil and gas studies and projects for existing Hatch-based teams in Newfoundland, Houston and other parts of the world.

"Being equipped with a fully integrated project delivery capability and capacity will allow our joint organization to create stronger alliances in Alberta and beyond," said Chris Read, president, Upside Engineering. “Drawing on Hatch’s global and diverse network, we are excited to expand our service offering to our clients, while continuing to grow our market share.”