Global gas majors in race for UAE’s gas resources

ExxonMobil, BP, Shell, Chevron, France's Total, Occidental of US, Italian ENI, Russia’s LUKoil and China’s Sinopec and China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) and ONGC fight for partnering Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC) in developing sour gas reserves.
ADNOC, which had in July invited international firms to partner it in developing sour gas reserves, aims at setting up a new operating company in partnership to extract, process and supply about 3 bn cfpd of sour gas to domestic markets.

Abu Dhabi has 213 tcf of mostly sour gas reserves both onshore and offshore. Project developments will involve the installation of sweetening plants and related facilities.
Sources said ADNOC plans to issue a tender in September for the development of offshore sour gas reserves, with technical and financial proposals due to be submitted in late December. An award is due in early 2007.

Shell and ExxonMobil had previously done technical studies at the onshore Shah and Bu Hasa fields.
BP and Total havealso carried out studies on offshore fields.