UAE's Dolphin completes 350,000 Mcf/d gas pipeline to Fujairah
Platts, 05.05.2010
The UAE's Dolphin Energy has completed a 128 km pipeline linking the Al Ain gas pipeline and its Taweelah receiving facilities, allowing it to transport 350,000 Mcf/day of natural gas to its F1 and F2 power stations in Fujairah, the company said Wednesday.
The company said it is now able to provide "sufficient gas transportation capacity required to fully operate both power stations."
This is the second of three major milestones on the Taweelah to Fujairah Gas pipeline (TFP) project.
Last August Dolphin said it had completed commissioning of early gas facilities on the gas-receiving station serving the Abu Dhabi Water & Electricity Company power and water desalination plant, the first stage of the TFP project.
Commissioning of the early gas facilities followed extensive modification on one section of Dolphin's existing Al Ain to Fujairah pipeline.
The 240 km third stage of the TFP project will link Dolphin Energy's gas-receiving facilities at Taweelah on the coast of Abu Dhabi to the ADWEC power and water desalination plant at Qidfa in Fujairah on the UAE's east coast.
The new Taweelah-Fujairah pipeline, which is being laid over an environmentally approved cross-country route of desert and mountain – one of the longest and largest overland gas pipelines in the UAE – is designed to carry significant quantities of Dolphin gas via Taweelah directly to the UAE east coast.
"The construction challenge has been phenomenal considering the timeframe and the tough conditions associated with laying a 48-inch pipeline across the harsh desert and mountainous terrain," said Dolphin Energy general manager Ibrahim al-Ansari.
Dolphin awarded a $418 million contract for the construction of TFP gas pipeline to Russia's Stroytransgaz in July 2008.
Dolphin Energy is owned 51% by Mubadala Development Company on behalf of the government of Abu Dhabi, and 24.5% each by Total of France and Occidental Petroleum of the US.
The Dolphin project involves production of natural gas from Qatar's North Field and transporting the dry gas by subsea export pipeline to receiving facilities at Taweelah for onward transmission to Dubai and other emirates in the UAE.
The long-term customers for Dolphin gas from Qatar are ADWEC, Dubai Supply Authority and Oman Oil Company. Each has signed a gas supply agreement with Dolphin Energy for 25 years.
Geoff King, geoff_king@platts.com
