The Shah sour gas development in Abu Dhabi has been ramped up to full capacity, according to the CEO of project operator Al-Hosn Gas, bringing online a major new source of energy for the UAE.

Al-Hosn Gas awarded the main engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts on the $11bn onshore project in 2010 and started commissioning at the end of 2014.

“We started the project early this year and we ramped up,” CEO Saif Ahmad al-Gafli told reporters in Abu Dhabi on 6 October. “We are in now full production of 1 billion cubic feet a day (cf/d).”

The project, which is located 210 kilometres southwest of Abu Dhabi city, was developed to produce 500 million cf/d of sales gas to meet growing power demand in the emirate. It is the largest active sour gas operation in the Middle East.

The 1 billion cf/d capacity referenced by Al-Gafli is thought to refer to the volume of raw gas processed at the facilities.

In addition to sales gas, the project will have the capacity to produce 4,400 tonnes a day (t/d) of natural gas liquids (NGLs), 33,000 barrels a day (b/d) of condensates and 11,000 t/d of sulphur.

Utilisation of the sulphur extracted from the Shah reservoir gas, which contains 23 per cent hydrogen sulphide, was one of the biggest challenges for the project.

Al-Hosn Gas is a joint venture of state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and US-based Occidental Petroleum (Oxy) formed to carry out the project.

Adnoc is planning to develop a second major sour gas project at the Bab onshore field in a partnership with UK/Dutch Shell.

MEED reported earlier this year that the design and project management contracts for the development have already been awarded.