Estimated to be worth AED 60 million ($16 million), the scope of works for the onshore field development includes the supply and installation of a total of about 60 kilometres of 4-6-inch-diameter pipelines, flowlines, compressors, valves and fibre-optic cables. The facilities, which will take about 20 months to complete, are aimed at inter-connecting 13 wellheads and rehabilitating the existing gas-gathering network. Mott MacDonald is the front-end engineering and design (FEED) contractor.

As part of its efforts to increase production capacity to 1.6 million barrels a day (b/d) from 1.4 million b/d, Adco is pursuing several major schemes.

In late July, contracts were awarded for the installation of new production facilities at Huwaila - another onshore oil field. The local Matrix Construction was awarded the $19 million EPC contract, which will include the installation of about 27 kilometres of pipeline, a multi-phase pumping station and related facilities, to increase production by 10,000 b/d by early 2007, rising to 30,000 b/d at a later date.

Other major projects planned include:

The phase 2 expansion of Bab, for which Adco is carrying out a screen study. The project will look at increasing production capacity by an additional 100,000 b/d; and

The Asab full-field development, for which Genesis Oil & Gas Consultants- a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paris-based Technip- is carrying out a conceptual study and masterplan. The scheme is aimed at increasing production by 30,000 b/d.