The development, owned by Qatar Petroleum (QP) and the US' ExxonMobil Corp-oration, and executed by Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company (RasGas), is expected to be run in three separate phases. The first phase will deliver 1,500 million cf/d of gas by 2012, the second 2,000 million cf/d and the third up to 2,500 million cf/d.

'The Barzan project can go at two trains at a time,' says a senior executive close to the project. 'The masterplan is for six trains, with each two-train segment to be built adjacent to each other. We are at the first stage of the project.'

RasGas is expected to commit project management teams from its Al-Khaleej 2 and RasGas III projects to Barzan from 2009.

Dubai-based J Ray Mc-Dermott submitted the results of its pre front-end engineeringand design study on the first phase of Barzan to QP in mid-October.

QP is expected to split the front-end engineering and design packages for phase one into onshore and offshore components, with the tender expected in early January.

An award is expected by the end of February, with the engineering, procurement and construction tender due by the third quarter of 2008.

Australia's WorleyParsons and four US firms - Foster Wheeler, Fluor Corporation, Jacobs Engineering and Washington Group - are in line to bid for the onshore element, while J Ray McDermott and France's Technip are likely to opt for the offshore portion.