The onshore contract has three packages. They are:

Package 1which is for the construction of a gas processing and compression plant, with capacity of about 2,600 million cubic feet a day (cf/d), at Ras Laffan; a raw gas reception unit; a condensate stabilisation unit; mono-ethylene glycol (MEG) and sulphur recovery units; facilities for ethane extraction and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) fractionation and treatment; and utilities systems, including stream generation;

Package 2 which includes the construction of LPG and condensate storage tanks; and loading facilities; and

Package 3 whichwill cover the construction of buildings and related facilities.

There are a similar number of packages on the offshore EPC contract. They are:

Package 1 which covers the construction of wellhead platforms; a steel jacket with modular topsides; a utilities system; and a flare and bridge;

Package 2 which calls for the construction of two 34-inch-diameter concrete-coated gas export pipelines; and two five-inch-diameter MEG pipes; and

Package 3 which includes the construction of a 48-inch-diameter subsea gas export pipeline; infrastructure for pipeline facilities; a riser platform; a fiscal metering and letdown station; receiving facilities; and related works.

For the offshore contract, companies will be able to bid for any of the packages separately as well as submit an overall price.

US-based Foster Wheeler Corporation,with France's Sofresid, is carrying out the front-end engineering and design (FEED) for the upstream element of the project. The midstream FEED is being carried out by Halliburton KBR, also US-based (MEED 22:3:02).

The Dolphin project involves the supply of 2,000 million cf/d of Qatari gas via a 440-kilometre subsea pipeline to the UAE. Deliveries are due to begin in the first half of 2006.

Gas sales agreements with three customers in the UAE are now expected to be signed by the end of 2002.