ABU DHABI: The delivery of the first unconventional gas from the UAE was announced today by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, ADNOC, and TOTAL. It was delivered from the Ruwais Diyab Unconventional Gas Concession located 200 kilometres west of Abu Dhabi city.
The achievement is a milestone towards future full field development and an important step towards ADNOC’s target of producing 1 billion standard cubic feet, scfd, of gas from the concession before 2030, enabling gas self-sufficiency for the UAE.
Two years after the region’s first historic unconventional gas concession agreement was signed by ADNOC and TOTAL, comes first gas from Ruwais Diyab. This marks the first time an unconventional gas development in the Middle East delivers gas to a pipeline so early in the project timeline.
The progress is the result of strong commitment and collaboration between ADNOC and TOTAL that enabled to fast track the exploration of unconventional gas resources while tailoring operations to the UAE’s shale play type.
Yaser Saeed Almazrouei, ADNOC Upstream Executive Director, said that the long-standing partnership between ADNOC and TOTAL enabled to expedite the learning curve in the production of unconventional gas resources, provided cost optimization opportunities, and driven efficiencies.
Just over a year after Abu Dhabi’s Supreme Petroleum Council, SPC, announced the discovery of 160 trillion scf of unconventional gas recoverable resources, since 2016 ADNOC continuously put efforts to de-risk unconventional gas resources across Abu Dhabi.
The strategic location of Ruwais Diyab Unconventional Gas Concession near ADNOC’s Ruwais industrial area helps in providing market access and allowing operations to leverage ADNOC’s expansive existing infrastructure benefitting the UAE’s evolving unconventionals industry.
ADNOC signed an agreement with TOTAL granting a 40 percent stake in the Ruwais Diyab Unconventional Gas Concession in November 2018, under which TOTAL will explore, appraise and develop the concession area’s unconventional gas resources.
ADNOC will also unlock gas resources from its Ghasha concession and Abu Dhabi’s giant gas caps, and new natural gas accumulations which will continue to be appraised and developed as the company pursues its exploration activities.
Source: WAM
