Saudi Aramco has received bids from contractors for the $100m engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the carbon dioxide injection plant and associated pipeline at the Uthmaniyah field in Saudi Arabia.

A total of 14 contractors have submitted bids for the contract with a decision expected by Aramco in mid-March.

“Bids are in, but there are a lot of contractors going for this one,” says a contracting source in the kingdom. “A lot of people will want to win this though because carbon dioxide injection is going to become more and more popular.”

The bidders for the project are:

• Chiyoda Corporation (Japan)
• CTCI Corporation (Singapore)
• Daelim (South Korea)
• Daewoo Engineering & Construction (South Korea)
• GS Engineering & Construction (South Korea)
• Hyundai Engineering and Construction (South Korea)
• JGC Corporation (Japan)
• Kentz Engineers & Constructors (Ireland)
• Petrofac (UK)
• Saipem (Italy)
• SK Engineering & Construction (South Korea)
• Techint (Italy)
• Technip (France)
• Tecnicas Reunidas (Spain)

The scope of works for the scheme includes the construction of a gas injection facility, low and high pressure injection packages, pumps, an associated pipeline, as well as associated utilities.

The winning contractor will start work on the project in the second quarter of 2011, with completion set for the end of 2013. The Uthmaniyah field is part of world’s largest oil field, the Ghawar, which is in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

Carbon dioxide injection is a proved enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technique for conventional oil reserves. As well as being an effective method of maintaining well pressure, it has also been recognised as a way to reduce greenhouse emissions.