Abu Dhabi is aiming to award an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract on a carbon dioxide (CO2) injection pilot project by the end of October, according to sources close to the bidding process.

Project owner Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (Adco) plans to build the facilities at the onshore Rumaitha field to test new enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technology.

The four firms submitting EPC bids were the UAE-based Alsa Engineering & Construction and Dodsal Group, India’s Larsen & Toubro and Canada’s SNC Lavalin.

When complete, the facilities will inject CO2 sourced from the carbon capture storage (CCS) scheme being built by Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar).

In August, Dodsal won the EPC deal to build CCS facilities at the Mussafah steel complex near Abu Dhabi city, which will capture CO2 for transport via a pipeline to the Rumaitha field for injection.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) is planning to use CO2 to replace the natural gas currently being reinjected into oil fields to increase reservoir pressure.

The CCS system is designed to reduce CO2 emissions and free up natural gas for use in Abu Dhabi’s power and industrial sectors.

Earlier this month, the UAE’s energy minister, Suhail Mohammed al-Mazrouei, said several pilot EOR schemes were being planned in Abu Dhabi.