The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) awarded a $548 million (AED 2.01 billion) contract to Abu Dhabi-based National Petroleum Construction Company (NPCC), WAM reported on Monday, September 5, 2022.

According to WAM, the ADNOC’s offshore unit granted the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract to NPCC to build a new pipeline at its Lower Zakum field offshore of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The award will support ADNOC’s plans to boost gas supply in the UAE and meet the spiking global energy demand. It will also increase the Lower Zakum field’s gas manufacturing capacity up to 700 million from 430 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD).

“This contract award will enable us to produce more gas as we increase production capacity from the Lower Zakum field. This will support our integrated gas masterplan, which is driving competitive gas recovery to enable gas self-sufficiency for the UAE and industrial growth while also helping to meet the increasing global demand for energy,” ADNOC’s upstream executive director, Yaser Saeed Almazrouei explained.

The project will be completed in 2025 and is expected to cater to the increased capacity of associated gas generated by the Lower Zakum field. About 75% of the award value will be projected to the UAE economy through the ADNOC’s In-Country Value (ICV) program to help create job opportunities in the private sector.

ADNOC’s offshore top executive officer Ahmad AI Suwaidi said that the Lower Zakum field is a strategic asset for the UAE and ADNOC, adding that collaborating with international partners will help identify and optimize value from the field regarding ADNOC’s 2030 smart growth strategy.

In collaboration with its strategic international partners, ADNOC Offshore has invested more than $5 billion in the expansion of Abu Dhabi’s offshore operations.