Four groups of companies submitted technical bids on the Bab scheme by the end-July deadline. They are: a team of the Paris-based Technip-Coflexipand the local National Petroleum Construction Company (NPCC); Italy's Snamprogetti; US-based Foster Wheeler Corporation; and Japan's JGC Corporation (MEED 2:8:02).

Estimated to cost $100 million, the project calls for a 100,000-barrel-a-day (b/d) expansion of production capacity at the onshore field. At present, the Bab field has a capacity to produce 250,000 b/d. The project is targeted for completion at the end of 2004. The contract entails the supply and installation of two processing trains, two and three-phase separators, a degassing station and related pipeline works.

Technip-Coflexipcarried out the front-end engineering and design (FEED) for the project. US-based VECO is the project management consultant.

On the estimated $350 million-400 million Northeast Abu Dhabi project the prospective bidders are Technip-Coflexip, NPCC, Snamprogetti, JGC, Chiyoda Corporationof Japan, Bouygues Offshore of France and US-based Bechtel.

The project involves increasing oil production from the onshore Rumaitha and Al-Dabbiyah fields to a sustainable capacity of 150,000 b/d and a maximum level of 180,000 b/d. The two fields are producing small volumes at present.

The 40-42-month project will cover the supply and installation of two crude oil-processing trains, in-field pipeline works, the installation of a pipeline to transport crude to Habshan, and related facilities (MEED 26:7:02).