Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) are expected to start the tendering process for the Al-Nouf seawater treatment plant and water collection and distribution network project in the second half of 2024.

It is the second public-private partnership (PPP) phase of Project Wave, which will replace the current aquifer water injection systems used to maintain reservoir pressure in all onshore oil fields in Abu Dhabi.

According to a source close to the project, the tender could be issued to qualified developers between the middle and end of 2024.

Like the first-phase Mirfa seawater treatment plant, the Al-Nouf facility will be developed and maintained as a build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) project. 

The $2.2bn Mirfa water treatment plant reached financial close in September.

Adnoc and Taqa awarded the 30-year BOOT contract for the Mirfa scheme to a team of Egypt's Orascom Construction and Metito in May this year.

Adnoc and Taqa will hold a joint majority stake of 51 per cent in the project company, while the developer consortium will hold the remaining 49 per cent.

The Orascom-Metito team will develop and operate the facilities to treat and supply seawater for Adnoc's operations at the Bab and Bu Hasa fields in Abu Dhabi.

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

The package also includes the plant's seawater intake and outfall facilities, two pumping stations, a 75-kilometre water transmission pipeline and 230 kilometres of distribution pipelines to the Bab and Bu Hasa oil fields.

The project is expected to reduce the water injection-related energy consumption of the oil fields by up to 30 per cent.

Orascom, Metito and Egypt's Petrojet will undertake the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) works for the project. 

Aquifer injection system

Project Wave aims to utilise seawater as an additional source for enhanced oil recovery-based injection into Abu Dhabi's onshore fields.

The Mirfa and Al-Nouf facilities were initially expected to have a total combined treatment capacity of about 210MIGD. This is understood to have been expanded.

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.

In-field distribution 

Engineering, procurement, construction and management (EPCM) work for a third component of Project Wave is under way. 

Adnoc Onshore awarded Greece's Archirodon the EPCM contract for an in-field distribution network to disseminate treated seawater to water injection wells in Adnoc's onshore oil fields.

The EPCM contract will cover the replacement of an existing water injection infrastructure with a new treated seawater injection network, as well as the installation of sub-adits.

The contract awarded to Archirodon is for three years, with the client expected to tender the EPC work at some point during the duration of the contract.

MEED’s November 2023 special report on the UAE includes: 

> COMMENT: UAE eyes global leadership role
> POLITICS: Abu Dhabi networks on the global stage
> ECONOMY: UAE economy maintains robust growth
> BANKING: UAE banks enjoy the good times
> UPSTREAM: Hail and Ghasha galvanises UAE upstream market
> DOWNSTREAM: Adnoc spurs downstream gas expansions
> POWER: UAE closes ranks ahead of Cop28
> WATER: UAE ramps up decarbonisation of water sector
> PROJECTS: Top 10 UAE clean energy projects
> CONSTRUCTION: UAE construction sector returns to form
> TRANSPORT: UAE aviation returns to growth