Russia's Stroytransgaz Starts Gas Output at Syrian Field
Platts, 22.12.2008
Russia's engineering company Stroytransgaz Monday announced the start of gas production at the Abu Rabah field in Syria, the first of the three gas fields to be commissioned as part of the Syrian government's south middle area gas project.
Gas from the field, which is located about 50 km east of Homs in the country's north, started flowing into the Arab Gas Pipeline, which is also being built by the Russian contractor.
"This event marks the completion of a significant stage in yet another large-scale project of Stroytransgaz in Syria, involving the construction of infrastructure at the country's gas fields and a gas treatment plant," Stroytransgaz chairman Vyacheslav Makhonin said in a company statement.
Stroytransgaz in December 2005 signed the EPC contract with Syrian Gas Co which included the construction of well infrastructure and gas separation stations at the Abu Rabah, the North al-Faid and Qomqom gas fields for the SMAGP project.
A spokeswoman with Stroytransgaz said the other two fields would be next to go on stream, but declined to give any timeframes.
The SMAGP, which the Syrian government considers vital for supplying a clean source of energy to industrial plants and power stations, is scheduled for completion by June 2009 and will consist of a gas treatment plant, the Abu Rabah and North al-Faid gas gathering stations and the Qomqom test station.
The project will produce 6–7.2 million cubic meters/day of gas, 50–60 mt/d of LPG and 4,430–5,300 b/d of condensate.
Stroytransgaz earlier this year completed the first phase of the Arab Gas Pipeline project from the Jordan–Syria border to Homs, in northern Syria.
Anna Shiryaevskaya, Geoff King
