Control System World

Shell has been chosen by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) to participate in a 30-year joint venture (JV) to develop the major Bab sour gas reservoirs in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Shell will hold a 40% equity stake in the JV, with ADNOC holding 60%.

The two companies will now enter a period of commercial and technical work leading to the development of the Bab sour gas reservoirs, which are 150 kilometres south-west of the city of Abu Dhabi.  It is intended that the JV will be the operator, and that the gas will supply the local market in the United Arab Emirates.

Peter Voser, Shell’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “Shell is honoured to have been selected by ADNOC to develop the Bab sour gas reservoirs. We have more than 60 years’ experience of safe and successful sour gas field development globally and we will apply this experience, along with our leading research and development, and technology expertise, to the development of the Bab resource. We will also work closely with ADNOC to enhance the technical expertise of its workforce through effective knowledge transfer.

“We value our long and successful partnership with ADNOC, and look forward to continuing to play a role in helping the United Arab Emirates meet its energy needs.”

Qatar Petroleum (QP) signed a Joint Venture Agreement with Total, Idemitsu, Cosmo, Marubeni and Mitsui for the new Laffan Refinery 2 (LR2) Project.

The agreement was signed by His Excellency Dr. Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry and Chairman & Managing Director of QP, along with Mr. Patrick Pouyanne, President of Refining & Chemicals at Total SA; Mr. Yoshihisa Matsumoto, Executive Vice President and Representative Director of Idemitsu; Mr. Masami Tsukagoshi, General Manager, International Ventures Department of Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd.; Mr. Yasuyuki Fujitani, Managing Officer and Deputy COO EMEA Business & Managing Director of Mitsui Middle East; and Mr. Kazuaki Tanaka, Managing Executive Officer of Marubeni Corporation.

Under the agreement, the LR2 ownership structure will be composed of QP (84%), Total (10%), Idemitsu (2%), Cosmo (2%), Marubeni (1%) and Mitsui (1%). The new LR2 condensate refinery is similar to the first Laffan Refinery (LR1), which started operations in September 2009, with a similar processing capacity of 146,000 barrels per day.

It will be operated by Qatargas Operating Company Limited (Qatargas) and will have a daily production capacity of 60,000 barrels of naphtha, 53,000 barrels of jet fuel, 24,000 barrels of gasoil, and 9,000 barrels of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). The project’s total cost is estimated at USD 1.5 billion, and its construction is expected to be completed in the second half of 2016.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, His Excellency Dr. Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry and Chairman & Managing Director of QP, said “The Laffan Refinery 2 Project comes in line with Qatar’s drive to monetize its resources and expand its industrial base for the benefit of its people under the visionary leadership of His Highness the Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani.” He added that “the new joint venture will pave the way for further optimizing our condensate processing, creating new opportunities, and enhancing our refining and export capacities.”

Technip was awarded by the Bahrain Petroleum Company B.S.C. (Closed) – BAPCO, a lump-sum contract for the engineering, procurement, construction, pre-commissioning as well as commissioning and start-up assistance for the modification project of the #3 sulfur recovery unit (SRU) of the Bahrain refinery. The project will ensure that the #3 SRU is capable of safely burning sour water stripper(1) off gas and becomes a viable spare for the new #4 SRU.

Vaseem Khan, Senior Vice President of Technip in the Middle East, stated: "We are pleased to have been awarded this project as it will strengthen our relationship with BAPCO, while ensuring continuity of our provision of quality services to this long-term client. Technip in the Middle East has a vast experience in managing complex brownfield EPC(2) projects and is therefore best suited to execute this contract, with an aggressive fast-track schedule regarding ready for start-up and commissioning phases."

The Honeywell Experion® Process Knowledge System (PKS) has been selected by Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity and Water to modernize the water distribution network that supplies more than 280 million imperial gallons of fresh water daily to Kuwait’s growing population. The system will be deployed throughout the Azzour Water Distribution Scheme so that operators at a central location can control a network of six different treatment plants located in Ardiya, Hawally, Salmiya, Failaka Island, Adailiya and the water towers of Kuwait.

“We have set long-term goals for sustainability in Kuwait. Revamping our water distribution network to improve efficiency and reduce costs is a key part of meeting our development plans,” said Hamoud Bader Alrodan, assistant under secretary, Ministry of Electricity and Water, Kuwait. “Honeywell’s experience in control systems and support capabilities in a number of industrial projects in Kuwait helped us pick them as one of our trusted vendors.”