José Pereira, country representative of Partex Oil and Gas, talks to TOGY about Abu Dhabi’s efforts to meet the rising demand for natural gas and the development of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques. Portugal’s Partex Oil and Gas is one of the founding partners of Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Petroleum Operations (ADCO) and has worked in the local market for 75 years.
How is Abu Dhabi managing the rise in demand for gas in the emirate?
Abu Dhabi is a net gas importer, and it is considering all possibilities to meet the needs of its growing population.
In order to bridge the gap, state-owned EmiratesLNG is building a new LNG import terminal in Fujairah. The facility will have a capacity to regasify 9 million tonnes of LNG each year. The terminal is expected to be operational by the end of 2018.
An additional motivation for Abu Dhabi to raise its domestic gas production is its commitment to supply LNG to its Asian customers on long-term contracts. Abu Dhabi has its own domestic gas requirements, ranging from power generation to downstream industrial uses, and its long-term supply contracts to Asian buyers is an additional sink for its production.
To manage domestic usage and promote sustainability, the government has also introduced prudent measures to manage consumption, such as smart meters.
As Abu Dhabi considers transitioning more of its EOR programmes to utilise carbon dioxide for reinjection, rather than associated gas, this will free up more gas for companies such as Abu Dhabi Gas Industries to produce higher-value natural gas liquids.
How can international oil companies (IOCs) make additional contributions to the technological advancement of Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry?
Due to the active involvement of IOCs in a number of Abu Dhabi’s largest fields, Abu Dhabi can benefit from IOCs’ operational and technological experience.
We have developed an algorithm for geostatistical elastic inversion, called acoustic elastic stochastic inversion, which we believe will lead to improved reservoir characterisation methodology. These techniques have been used at fields such as Asab, Bu Hasa, Sahil and Shah.
Another example is microbial EOR, applying bacteria to break down carbon molecules to help mobilise heavy oil. The challenge is not sourcing the appropriate bacteria for microbial EOR, but rather identifying those that can survive at reservoir depths of 1 kilometre.
Furthermore, the carbonate reservoirs in Abu Dhabi are heterogeneous, so their response to such innovative EOR techniques is not well understood. Before full commercial application can be achieved, additional pilot studies are needed to better understand the impact of microbial enzymes on the properties of the reservoir, the hydrocarbons it contains and the overall impact on its production.
For more news and features on Abu Dhabi, click here.
TOGY talks to Sylvain Itté, French Ambassador to Angola, about the strong economic and cultural ties between the two countries,… Read More
TOGY talks to Li Patrik, director of energy, environment, infrastructure at the China-Britain Business Council (CBBC), about the difficulties of… Read More
TOGY talks to Río Negro province Secretary of Hydrocarbons Sebastian Caldiero about policies implemented by the provincial government to manage… Read More
TOGY talks to Heba Filobbos, area manager of the Northern Gulf for Halliburton, about the company’s experience working as an… Read More
TOGY talks to Christopher Gunson, partner at Amereller, about the oil and gas industry in the UAE and the surrounding… Read More
TOGY talks to Graeme Taylor, Vice President for Angola at Halliburton, about forecasted stabilisation, onshore potential and the qualities required… Read More
This website uses cookies.