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Adnoc selects Cobra-led team for PPP project

20 March 2023

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) is understood to have selected a team led by Spain's Cobra Instalaciones for the contract to develop a seawater treatment plant and transmission pipeline in Mirfa as part of its Project Wave.

The selected consortium includes Egypt's Orascom and Metito.

Industry sources previously told MEED that the contract has an estimated value of $2bn-$2.5bn.

Adnoc received three bids for the contract to develop the project in September 2022. 

The other companies that submitted proposals for the contract were:

  • Vision International (Saudi Arabia) / Veolia (France)
  • Marubeni Corporation (Japan)

MEED reported in December that Adnoc was undertaking separate negotiations with teams led by Cobra and Saudi Arabia's Vision International.

Neither team submitted an updated bid for the contract at the end of last month.

It is understood that the client had requested bidders to arrange a 100 per cent debt commitment from banks before resubmitting their proposals.

The package involves the development of a nanofiltration plant with a capacity of 115 million imperial gallons a day (MIGD) in Mirfa.

The scheme includes the plant's seawater intake and outfall facilities, a pumping station and a 75-kilometre water transmission pipeline to the Bab and Bu Hasa oil fields.

Adnoc and Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) will own 51 per cent of the special purpose vehicle that will implement the project, while the selected developer or developer consortium will own 49 per cent. 

The clients issued the requests for qualifications for the contract to develop two seawater treatment plants and associated facilities in March 2021.

Scope

Project Wave will replace the current aquifer water injection systems used to maintain reservoir pressure in all onshore oil fields in Abu Dhabi. It aims to utilise seawater as an additional source for enhanced oil recovery-based injection into Abu Dhabi's onshore fields.

It is understood that Project Wave's second package, in Al-Nouf, will be tendered separately. 

The two planned standalone greenfield seawater nanofiltration plants were to have a combined treatment capacity of about 210 MIGD. This is understood to have been expanded.

The two seawater treatment plants will be implemented on a build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) basis.

Adnoc had indicated that it expects the plants to commence commercial operations in 2025. 

Adnoc will be the sole offtaker of the treated seawater at the battery limit of the Adnoc Onshore fields.

A team of UK-based Alderbrook Finance and Saudi Arabia-based SMBC are the financial advisers to the client for the BOOT projects. Austria-headquartered ILF Consulting Engineers is the technical adviser.

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Jennifer Aguinaldo

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