UAE- NPCC led venture wins $800m project 

(MENAFN - Khaleej Times) National Petroleum Construction Company (NPCC), an Abu Dhabi government owned firm, joint venture will build new facilities at the man-made islands at Zadco's Upper Zakum project.

NPCC, a unit of the General Holding Corporation, offered bids in partnership with France's Technip for engineering procurement and construction package 1 of the Upper Zakum 750 Production Build up Programme by Zadco. The value of the contract is 800 million, according to sources, who hinted that the agreement is likely to be signed in three months.

The Upper Zakum offshore field is located in the Arabian Gulf, 84 kilometres from Abu Dhabi. The scope of work for the awarded package includes construction of 240 kilometres of subsea pipelines; 128 kilometres of subsea composite and fibre optic cables and almost 30,000 tonnes of offshore/onshore structures.

Other component of the construction project includes building of jackets, riser platforms, flare towers, bridges, modules; 37 initial production well facilities on artificial Islands. Extensive brownfield modifications at the existing Zakum Central Complex and at 7 Wellhead platforms will also be built.

NPCC will lead the consortium and undertake the entire fabrication and offshore installation and modification works.

Technip's operating centre in Abu Dhabi will undertake the overall engineering for the project.

The consortium will jointly manage the associated procurement, cable installation, onshore construction and commissioning, the company said in a statement. The project is due for completion in 36 months.

In May, NPCC's chief executive officer Aqeel Abdullah Al Madhi said his construction company was bullish on Abu Dhabi's new projects and expects a surge in revenues to Dh5 billion this year up from Dh4.2 billion last year.

"We're expecting billions of dollars in value projects in the next 12 months in Abu Dhabi," Al Madhi told reporters in May.

EPC-2 of Upper Zakum, which has an even bigger value is likely to be awarded towards the end of the year, a source told Khaleej Times.

The NPCC has set an ambitious expansion plan in terms of volume, growth, and geographical reach, scouting for opportunities in South East Asia, Caspian Sea and West Africa, its chief executive revealed recently.

NPCC is upgrading its technical capabilities through an investment of 500 million. This covers upgrading offshore marine fleet, increasing yards' capacity, augmenting equipment facilities and in addition to expanding its engineering capabilities.