An energy cluster with turnkey EPC solutions

Abu Dhabi

Sumeet Vinayak, business development director for GCG and Emirates E&I, and Hassan Metla, group CEO of Aban Investment, talk to The Energy Year about their activities, opportunities and competitive advantages. As divisions of the Ghobash Group, whose portfolio is managed by Aban Investment, GCG and Emirates E&I provide EPC, digital solutions and industrial automation.

Could you give us an overview of your energy cluster?
Hassan METLA: We have been present in the market for around 40 years now, working primarily with the oil and gas sector, with different business units.
We have three companies: Emirates E&I, GCG and GCG Iraq. Through Emirates E&I, we are acting as an EPC contractor. GCG is our arm for different capabilities such as EPD engineering, digital solutions and industrial automation. Lastly, GCG Iraq is a vehicle for both companies to penetrate and act within the Iraqi market. Looking ahead, we intend to keep expanding our capabilities and further integrate new technologies and business units.

What different projects and clients do you work with?
Sumeet VINAYAK: Over the years ADNOC has been our major customer in the UAE. We offer total turnkey solutions for mechanical and electrical instrumentation projects required across the oil and gas value chain. We have had some good successes in the past few years and have just been awarded the upgrade project of the fire alarm control panels and HVAC control panels for 25 clusters for ADNOC.
We have also been awarded a project by SNOC [Sharjah National Oil Corporation] for the upgrade of a thermal unit. We’ve had some successes outside the oil and gas industry too, for example, for the manufacturing and refurbishment of shell and tube heat exchangers for Emirates Steel, industrial HVAC projects, MEP works for district cooling projects and street light projects.
We have recently partnered up with a Norwegian company called UMOE and are looking towards providing solutions for the transportation and storage of hydrogen and gas.

What is your strategy for expansion and seizing new business opportunities?
SV: We have established ourselves as system integrators both within the oil and gas sector and outside it, which will help us move towards our vision to further penetrate the clean energy market.
When it comes to our work with ADNOC, we understand that for major new greenfield projects, the demand will be for companies that can provide the full turnkey solution. That is why we are currently leveraging our relationship with major companies and contractors. When you look at the ambitions to increase oil production capacity to 5 million bopd and new field developments such as Hail and Ghasha, we want to be a part of this drive.

What new markets are evolving and will provide opportunities in the coming years?
HM: We see the direction the market is taking in regard to sustainability, and we are looking to accompany that transition. We are looking at different avenues that contribute to green practices, and we see opportunities in the hydrogen space. Solar, wind and nuclear are strong sectors, but already crowded, and we have to look at how we can contribute based on our capabilities.
We see a need from our customers for support in hydrogen projects. We are looking to participate in COP28 and provide solutions for the refuelling of hydrogen, which is quite technically specific in terms of the storage temperature. We are working on mobile refuelling stations that we could help deploy.
Another market we see gaining traction is energy storage and the development of better battery systems and how that can further contribute to the electrification of transportation.

What would you say gives you a competitive advantage?
SV: We are focused on listening to our clients’ challenges and the needs of the market and thinking outside the box in order to provide solutions that add value to them. We are looking at issues from various angles and look towards integrating innovative Industry 4.0 technologies.
As a systems integrator we also work on linking different solutions together and fitting them into new applications.

What are your main goals for 2023?
HM: We have major ambitions for 2023 and expect to double our revenue. We have some projects in the pipeline and will also start focusing more on clean tech and sustainable capabilities.
Our aim is to grow our market shares and with COP28 being hosted in the UAE this year, we intend to continue our relationships with ADNOC and ENOC [Emirates National Oil Company] and see how we can partner up to penetrate the hydrogen space.
Lastly, we have a large project in Iraq that will be finalised this year. We’ve built a loading arm to load fuel from ships or trucks, and we are looking to grow that business there.
Finally, we are also looking to expand geographically towards Saudi Arabia and hope to be able to do so this year.

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