In January this year, Abu Dhabi-based Borouge announced that engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) works on the fourth expansion phase of its petrochemicals complex in Ruwais had exceeded 50%.

The upcoming Borouge 4 polyolefins complex will feature two polyethylene plants – each with a capacity of 700,000 tonnes a year (t/y) – cementing Abu Dhabi’s position as a major producer of petrochemicals. These plants will be supplied by an ethane cracker with a capacity of more than 1.5 million t/y of ethylene and associated derivatives.

Borouge is the petrochemicals-producing joint venture (JV) of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and Austrian energy company Borealis. Adnoc owns the majority 70.84% stake in Borouge, with Borealis holding a 19.16% stake. The remaining 10% of shares in Borouge trade on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange.

Following the signing of a final investment decision agreement worth $6.2bn by Adnoc and Borealis in November 2021, Borouge awarded the main EPC contracts for the Borouge 4 project, estimated to be worth a total of $4.8bn, in December of that year.

Adnoc has not scaled back spending on petrochemicals projects, or on midstream and downstream oil and gas projects. Subsidiaries and affiliates of the Abu Dhabi energy giant beat the 2021 capital expenditure (capex) level last year by awarding up to $7.5bn-worth of projects to increase its gas transport and processing capabilities, which will facilitate the growth of the petrochemicals and chemicals industries.

Focus on gas processing projects

The biggest EPC contract award on a downstream project in Abu Dhabi in 2023 was an estimated $3.6bn by Adnoc Gas on its project to maximise ethane recovery and monetisation (Meram). A consortium of Abu Dhabi’s NMDC Energy and Spanish contractor Tecnicas Reunidas won the main EPC contract for Project Meram.

The Meram project has dual objectives. The first goal is to increase ethane extraction from Adnoc Gas’ existing onshore facilities in the Habshan gas processing complex by 35%-40% through the construction of new facilities. The second goal is to unlock further value from existing feedstock and deliver it to Ruwais via a 120-kilometre natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline.

Adnoc Gas is also making progress with the Estidama project, which is crucial to enhancing Adnoc’s sales gas pipeline network across the UAE. The project aims to cater to rising demand for gas from industrial consumers in the country, particularly in the Northern Emirates.

EPC works on the estimated $2bn-plus Estidama project have been divided into seven packages. In July last year, Adnoc Gas awarded contracts worth a combined $1.3bn for two packages of the Estidama project. UK-headquartered Petrofac was awarded the EPC contract for package two of the scheme, estimated to be worth $720m. A consortium of NMDC Energy and Lebanon-headquartered CAT Group won Estidama package three, which is valued at about $630m.

Meanwhile, investors in the Taziz petrochemicals derivatives-producing industrial complex in Ruwais are pushing ahead with their projects. Taziz – a 60:40 JV of Adnoc and Abu Dhabi’s industrial holding company ADQ – is overseeing the development of the industrial complex, which will mainly draw ethylene feedstock from the Borouge 4 facility to produce several in-demand chemicals.

A JV of UAE-based Fertiglobe, South Korea’s GS Energy and Japanese investment firm Mitsui awarded Italian contractor Tecnimont the main EPC contract, estimated to be worth $1.5bn, for its planned blue ammonia project in the Taziz Industrial Chemicals Zone last February. The JV has appointed KBR to provide the technology licence, basic engineering design, proprietary equipment and catalyst for the low-carbon ammonia plant, which will have a capacity of 1 million t/y.

Rise in downstream spending

Further spending by investors on projects in the Taziz master development is set to drive capex on downstream and chemicals projects in the UAE this year.

India’s Reliance Industries has forged a partnership with Taziz and Abu Dhabi-based Shaheen Chem Holdings Investment to invest $2bn in the development of three chemicals plants that will produce 940,000 t/y of chlor-alkali, 1.1 million t/y of ethylene dichloride and 360,000 t/y of polyvinyl chloride. Reliance is expected to award EPC contracts for all three plants this year.

Switzerland-based Proman has committed to building the UAE’s first methanol plant at Taziz, with a planned production capacity of 1.8 million t/y. The Proman-Taziz JV has issued the main tender for the project and contractors are currently preparing technical bids.

As projects in the first phase of the chemicals complex move forward, Taziz is also understood to be gearing up for a second phase that will more than double the categories of chemicals produced at the derivatives hub.

Separately, Adnoc has awarded the main EPC contract this year for a project to build a west-to-east pipeline to transport crude oil produced in Abu Dhabi to the UAE’s northern emirate of Fujairah. The contract is worth up to $3bn.

Egyptian contractor Engineering for Petroleum & Process Industries (Enppi) has been selected to execute the project’s engineering, procurement and construction management.

Looking ahead, close to $8bn-worth of contracts are due to be awarded in the remainder of 2024 on midstream, upstream and downstream projects in Abu Dhabi. When commissioned in the second half of this decade, these projects will go a long way towards consolidating Abu Dhabi’s status as a global downstream hub.