Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC)is studying a range of new projects in the upstream gas and the downstream petrochemicals sectors, said secretary-general of the Supreme Petroleum Council and ADNOC chief executive Yousef Omair bin Yousef.

Speaking at MEED's Major New Project Opportunities in Abu Dhabi conference on 26 September, Bin Yousef said that rising power generating and petrochemicals capacity had resulted in gas consumption doubling over the past decade and that it would reach 4,000 million cubic feet a day (cf/d) by 2005. Current gas processing capacity is 5,000 million cf/d and will rise to 7,000 million cf/d in 2008, with the completion of the third phase of the onshore gas development (OGD-3) and phase 2 of the Asab gas development (AGD-2), Bin Yousef said.

The integrated gas programme, which will produce condensates, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), natural gas liquids (NGL) and ethane, as well as gas for reinjection, will drive a significant expansion of Abu Dhabi's petrochemicals base and the introduction of new product lines, Bin Yousef said. Among the projects being studied are the expansion of fertiliser capacity, an aromatics complex based on naphtha reforming at Abu Dhabi Oil Refining Company (Takreer)and a melamine unit, which is planned at Ruwais Fertiliser Industries (Fertil).

The most advanced new petrochemical scheme is the expansion of the Abu Dhabi Polymers Company (Borouge)complex at Ruwais. Bin Yousef said that the phase 3 expansion would comprise a 1.4 million-tonne-a-year (t/y) ethane cracker, to feed 540,000 t/y of polyethylene (PE) and two 400,000-t/y polypropylene (PP) units. 'The expansion will make Borouge one of the most efficient petrochemical companies in the world,' Bin Yousef said. Mina Zayed will also be developed to handle the additional volumes of polymers.

Bin Yousef said that studies had also been carried out to interconnect the onshore and offshore gas networks. It is expected that approval of the link will be obtained by the end of the year.