Abu Dhabi is planning to build a new gas processing plant to handle associated gas produced from the Al-Dabbiya field expansion, according to sources familiar with the project.

France’s Technip was awarded the front-end engineering & design (feed) study for the scheme earlier in 2015 by project owner Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Petroleum Operations (Adco).

Adco is expected to move ahead with the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) tender in 2016 and is understood to have invited companies to submit prequalification documents.

Adco is currently carrying out the third-phase expansion at the Al-Dabbiya field, which lies in a coastal shallow and deep marine area to the south-west of Abu Dhabi city.

The EPC contract was awarded to Italy’s Tecnimont in the final quarter of 2014 in a deal worth $2.3bn.

The North East Bab asset, where the Al-Dabbiya field is located, has the capacity to produce about 110,000 barrels a day (b/d) – about 8 per cent of Adco’s total production – and this capacity is due to be doubled after the third-phase expansion project’s completion.

The planned gas plant is expected to process the gas associated with this increase in oil production and supply it to Abu Dhabi’s gas pipeline network.

Adco is a joint venture of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, France’s Total (10 per cent), Japan’s Inpex (5 per cent) and South Korea’s GS Energy (3 per cent). The onshore operator is expected to award more stakes to bring the interest held by international oil companies to a total of 40 per cent.