Abu Dhabi has received technical proposals from companies bidding on the Bab Integrated Facilities expansion project to expand one the emirate’s major onshore oil fields.

Contractors submitted the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) bids to project operator Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Petroleum Operations (Adco) on 2 March, according to sources familiar with the project.

The companies submitting technical bids for the project – either independently or as the leader of a consortium – are thought to be:

• GS Engineering & Construction (South Korea)
• Intecsa Industrial (Spain)
• Petrofac(UK)
• SK Engineering & Construction (South Korea)
• Saipem(Italy)
• Tecnicas Reunidas (Spain)
• Tecnimont (Italy)

The estimated budget of the EPC package is thought to be just under $2bn. The next phase of the project will see companies submitting commercial EPC proposals but, according to one source, Adco has yet to set a bid deadline.

Petrofac was awarded the project’s front-end engineering and design (feed) contract for $21m and completed the study in August 2014.

The project will install new facilities at Adco’s Bab field, located 160 kilometres southwest of Abu Dhabi city. Surface facilities will be delivered for the Thamama-A, Thamama-H and Thamama-B production zones to achieve a total sustainable oil production rate of 450,000 barrels a day (b/d).

The field is sour with high hydrogen sulphide content and Adco injects aquifer water into the producing zones to maintain pressure. Associated gas is separated at the Bab Central Degassing Station (BCDS) is delivered to Abu Dhabi Gas Industries (Gasco) for processing, and processed crude oil is pumped to the Adco export network.

Adco is currently a joint venture between the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Total. Abu Dhabi has received bids for interest in the 40-year joint venture, but so far only the French company has announced a 10 per cent stake.