The Ghasha ultra-sour gas project is located on the north-western shore of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) is developing the project, which is estimated to have a daily production capacity of approximately one billion cubic feet (bcf) of sour gas.
The Ghasha concession has a validity of 40 years and comprises three gas and condensate fields: Hail, Ghasha and Dalma. The region also holds the oil, gas and condensate fields Nasr, SARB and Mubarraz.
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ADNOC has a 60% stake in the concession, while Eni holds 25%. Wintershall acquired 10% interest in the Ghasha concession in November 2018, while OMV was awarded the remaining 5% interest.
The final investment decision on the Hail and Ghasha fields is planned to be made in 2019, with production scheduled for 2025. The gas field is expected to produce more than 40 million cubic meters of natural gas a day (equivalent to 1.5bn ft³) and more than 120,000 barrel of oil equivalent per day (boed) and high-value condensate.
Natural gas produced by the project will be sufficient to generate electricity for more than two million homes.
Ghasha ultra-sour gas project background
The project is an integral part of ADNOC’s 2030 Smart Growth Master Plan, which was approved by the Supreme Petroleum Council in November 2016.
The growth strategy focuses on unlocking and extracting maximum value from the available gas reserves in Abu Dhabi. It also aims to achieve gas self-sufficiency and transform the nation into a net exporter of gas.
ADNOC proposes to create an ultra-sour gas hub in the region with the addition of Ghasha concession fields to the existing Shah Arab reservoir.
Ghasha ultra-sour gas project details
The Ghasha ultra-sour gas project is a greenfield project, which involves drilling development wells and the construction of separate offshore and onshore treatment, processing and transportation facilities for natural gas, condensate, crude oil and sulphur.
Ten artificial islands will be developed along with two causeways to produce gas from the concession. The existing Al Ghaf Island will also be expanded.
Low-cost land-drilling rigs will be deployed to carry out drilling for the project. The rigs will offer the convenience of extended drilling reach compared to offshore rigs, as well as providing cost and environmental benefits, reducing the number of dredging wells and providing additional habitats for marine life.
The project will use advanced technologies to create remote access to carry out development activities across natural and artificial islands. The remote facilities will be operated from a centralised control centre at Al Manayif, featuring advanced technologies to immediately respond to any changes or interventions.
ADNOC proposes to unlock more value from the gas reserves, protect the environment and minimise human exposure to the operations through the application of smart technologies.
Contractors involved
ADNOC engaged Bechtel for the front-end engineering and design (FEED) of the Hail and Ghasha fields.
National Marine Dredging Company was awarded a contract worth AED5bn ($1.36bn) to provide dredging, land reclamation and marine construction services.
KBR was engaged to render project management services as part of the FEED activities at the Ghasha concession under a contract awarded by OMV Offshore Abu Dhabi.
Artelia is carrying out detailed engineering work for the artificial islands, while Fugro is conducting geophysical and geotechnical surveys for Artelia under a sub-contract.
