Abu Dhabi is moving ahead with a project to increase the production capacity of its largest onshore oil field Bu Hasa, according to sources familiar with the scheme.

Field operator Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Petroleum Operations (Adco) is in the process of shortlisting engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) companies for an upcoming tender on the Bu Hasa Integrated Field Development.

Adco has invited companies to express interest in bidding for the project, with a tender expected to be floated in the second half of 2017.

The initial front-end engineering and design (feed) study on the project was completed by US engineering consultancy CH2M but Adco is now updating the study in-house, sources told MEED.

Bu Hasa field, located about 200 kilometres southwest of Abu Dhabi city, contributes 96 per cent of the production at Adco’s Bu Hasa Asset, which also includes the much smaller Huwaila and Bida al-Qemzan fields. The Bu Hasa Asset in turn contributes 34 per cent of Adco’s daily oil production, according to the Adco website.

Adco does not disclose the current capacity of individual onshore oil fields, but it is though the Bu Hasa field produces about 600,000 barrels a day (b/d) with Adco’s total production around 1.8 million b/d.

Adco recently tendered an EPC contract on a project to increase capacity at the Bab field, another of Abu Dhab’s largest onshore fields.

Adco is a joint venture of state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, France’s Total (10 per cent), UK-based BP (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.