Abu Dhabi has received technical bids from companies vying to construct a full field development at the Mender field in the south of the emirate, according to a source familiar with the project.

The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) tender was released by project owner Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (Adco), which is developing Mender along with other South East Asset fields Sahil and Qusahwira.

Companies submitting technical EPC bids include:

• Consolidated Contractors Company (Greece)
• China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Corporation (China)
• Dodsal (UAE)
• Larsen & Toubro (India)
• Tecnicas Reunidas (Spain)

Adco will assess the technical bids before setting a date for commercial proposals for the estimated $200m contract.

The project will start production at the Mender field for the first time with a capacity of about 20,000 barrels a day (b/d). The field is located 290 kilometres south of Abu Dhabi city and 125km south of the Asab field close to the emirate’s border with Saudi Arabia and Oman.

The development is part of Adco’s programme to add 143,000 b/d of new capacity at three fields, including the active Sahil and Qusahwira fields.

MEED revealed in May that US-based CH2M Hill won the project management consultancy (PMC) contract to oversee the development of the three fields.

The front-end engineering and design (feed) contract for the Qusahwira field section of the megaproject was awarded to SNC Lavalin.

Adco has completed, or is in the process of commissioning, two major onshore development programmes it started constructing in 2009. The project, dubbed the ‘1.8 million b/d programme’, was undertaken to develop the Qusawirah, Bida al-Qemzan and Bab fields while the Shah-Asab-Sahil (SAS) project is increasing output from the three named fields.

Adco is now 100 per cent owned by the state’s Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), after its long-term concession with five international oil companies (IOCs) expired in January.