Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Gas Development Company Limited (Al Hosn Gas), which is developing Shah gas field said it will have a capacity to supply half a billion standard cubic feet per day of network gas when fully developed.

The gas field located about 210 kilometres south-west of Abu Dhabi is targeted for full production in late 2014. It will contribute significantly to the energy needs of Abu Dhabi and the UAE for over 30 years, the corporate magazine of Al Hosn gas said.

According to the publication, though the sour gas field with high levels of hydrogen sulphide content was discovered in the mid 1960s, its remoteness and the complexity of gas extraction made development virtually impossible. Only in recent years has technology advanced to an extent that makes processing such sour gas feasible.

“The Shah gas field will yield about half a billion cubic feet per day of network gas and produce vast amounts of highly valuable hydrocarbon by-products for domestic use and export,” the magazine said.

It said that there were no access roads to the site and it could only be reached after a gruelling 27 kilometres trek across the sands in an off road 4x4 vehicle and there was no power supply, telecommunications or water with summer temperatures soaring well over 50 degrees Celsius.

“Now a mini-city with a population expected to reach 35,000 is taking shape in the desert as an international team of expert engineers, contractors and construction workers strive to achieve a feat of historic dimension-a $10 billion project.”

Difficulties

According to the magazine, Shah gas field is the biggest sour gas project of its kind ever undertaken-tapping into energy riches that are contained at high temperature and pressure.

The sour descriptor comes from the high proportion of impurities in the gas. The sour gas hydrogen sulphide content alone is 23 per cent and so corrosive that conventional recovery equipment will perish in the attempt. The highest hydrogen sulphide concentration in sour gas fields that have so far been exploited is about 15 per cent.

Saif Ahmad Al Ghafli, chief executive officer of Al Hosn gas said that utilisation of the Shah gas field would have been a virtual impossibility.

“The remoteness of the site, the difficulties of extracting and handling such high levels of sourness, the attendant safety and environmental hazards-all represented huge obstacles to overcome specially when much sweeter and more easily managed gas field were available.”

He said processed sulphur granules will be transported on a purpose built 266 kilometre railway line to the Ruwais port terminal for export.

Al Hosn gas is a 60-40 joint venture between Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and Occidental Petroleum (Oxy) from the US.

When contacted Oxy declined to comment where as Al Hosn gas said that they would not comment to the media and the information should be taken from the corporate magazine.