Abu Dhabi Gas Industries (Gasco) is preparing to tender a $45m pipeline project in September after prequalifying over ten companies for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract.

The company is planning to build a 24-inch, 45-kilometre pipeline from Yas Island to the Mina Zayed port to supply gas to the existing natural gas vehicle (NGV) filling station.

Among the 10-12 prequalified companies are Athens-based Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) local contractor Dodsal and Indian groups Larsen & Toubro and Punj Lloyd, according to a group vying for the deal.

The contract is scheduled to be awarded in the first quarter of 2013 after separate technical and commercial bids from prequalified companies.

US-based Veco Engineering won the front-end engineering design (feed) contract for the pipeline and is expected to complete this phase by the end of August.

Gasco was formed in 1978 as a joint venture of state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), UK-Dutch Shell, France’s Total and Portugal’s Partex.