Several companies have submitted commercial bids for the development of the Haliba onshore field in Abu Dhabi, according to sources familiar with the project.

Project owner Al-Dhafra Petroleum Operations Company received commercial engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) bids on 26 March after an extension to a previous deadline.

According to sources, the following companies are among those submitting commercial bids:

• ABB (Switzerland)
• China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Corporation (CPECC; China) / Technip (France)
• Larsen & Toubro (India)
• Tecnimont (Italy)

Al-Dhafra Petroleum will now assess the bids and is expected to award the EPC contract in the coming months.

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.

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