The prospective bidders are: Saipemwith Snamprogetti, both of Italy, and Athens-based Consolidated Contractors International Company (CCC); India's Dodsal; South Korea's Daelim Engineers & Construction Company; Canada's SNC Lavalinwith the local Al-Hassan Engineering; and GPSand Galfar Engineering & Construction, both local.

The scope of works calls for the construction of a 48-inch-diameter pipeline to tie into the existing gas pipeline linking Saih Nihayda, located in the central Oman gas fields, with the liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities of Oman LNGat Sur. A team of SNC Lavalin and Al-Hassan was awarded in May the main package to expand the Saih Nihayda gas processing plant. The project involves increasing gas processing capacity by 20 million cubic metres a day (cm/d) to 60 million cm/d (MEED 17:5:02).

The final element of the scheme is expected to entail the construction of a gas booster station that will forward the additional volumes of gas supplied by the pipeline to the new LNG facilities at Sur.

Prequalifiers include SNC Lavalin/Al-Hassan; Daelim; Sharjah-based Petrofac International; Japan's JGC Corporation; Saipem/Snamprogetti/CCC; and the local Bahwan Engineering Company. A final decision is yet to be made on whether to press ahead with this package in its present form.