Al-Dhafra Petroleum Operations Company has extended the deadline for bids on its Haliba oil field development in Abu Dhabi, according to sources familiar with the project.

Al-Dhafra Petroleum, a joint venture of UAE and South Korean companies, has asked companies to submit technical engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) bids on 20 November, pushing the deadline back from 6 November.

The 30-year deal was signed in March 2012, giving Al-Dhafra Petroleum the rights to explore three oil blocks; two onshore and one offshore. It was the first time South Korea – a major customer for UAE crude – took ownership of upstream assets in Abu Dhabi.

The front-end engineering and design (feed) study for the scheme has been completed by France’s Technip. The study is thought to cover an oil field development at Area 1 in southeast Abu Dhabi. The work will include bringing commercial production on stream at the Haliba field for the first time.

Al-Dhafra Petroleum is 60 per cent owned by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), with a 40 per cent stake held by South Korea’s Korea National Oil Corporation (KNOC) and GS Energy.