May 20 (LNGJ) - Saipem, the Italian energy and LNG engineering company specialising in subsea work, has been awarded a new offshore contract by Azule Energy of Angola, a joint venture between Italy’s Eni and UK major BP. The contract, valued at $850 million, is for the development of the Ndungu Field as part of the Agogo Integrated West Hub Project, located 180 kilometres off the coast of Angola.
Saipem said the scope of work entailed the engineering, fabrication, transportation and installation of around 60km of rigid pipelines and of the subsea facilities at a depth of around 1,100 metres, as well as the transportation and installation of flexible flowlines, jumpers and 17km of umbilicals. “Fabrication activities will be executed at Saipem’s Ambriz yard in Angola,” said Saipem.
Saipem, the Italian subsea company with contracts for LNG project, pipeline natural and oil worldwide reported a more than 40 rise in earnings as the current backlog was almost €30 billion ($32Bln) with over €2Bln in new contracts.
Saipem, the Italian subsea company with contracts for LNG project, pipeline natural and oil worldwide reported a 19 percent jump in revenues as new contracts also built the backlog to more than $32Bln.
Italian oil and gas and LNG project engineering company Saipem, which has extensive global subsea and pipeline expertise, said it reached “new and important project” landmarks by contributing to the start of production of the Payara field, offshore the tiny nation of Guyana in the northeast corner of South America.
The start of production of the offshore oil field is the third project to which Saipem has contributed in the Stabroek Block
The field is operated by a consortium comprising US major ExxonMobil Corp, New York-based Hess Corp., currently being acquired by Chevron Corp., and the Chinese major China National Offshore Oil Corp.
Saipem contributed to the project development by providing engineering, procurement, construction and installation of the underwater facilities.
Saipem installed over 130 kilometres of thick rigid pipelines and risers in about 2,000 metres of water depth.
Guyana reserves
Guyana is among the leading oil and gas reserve holders in Latin America and will be a future large exporter of hydrocarbons along with Argentina, Brazil and Mexico as well as LNG producers Peru and Trinidad and Tobago.
The contract was fully released in 2020 by ExxonMobil Guyana and Saipem said its leading subsea assets such as “FDS2” and “Saipem Constellation” were deployed to carry out the project.
Furthermore, Saipem used its fabrication facility in Georgetown, Guyana, for the fabrication of 48 rigid jumpers, ensuring important local activity and jobs and enhancing sustainable investment in the country.
“Saipem has a consolidated presence in the country, having previously contributed to the development of the two phases of the Liza Project and to the start of the Yellowtail Project,” said the Milan-based company.
Guyana economic boost
The International Energy Agency noted that oil will be required for vehicle transport in the South American and Caribbean region well through 2050.
“Oil production has been rising in Brazil and Guyana, while it is in decline in Venezuela and Mexico,” said the IEA.
“Increased demand and prices for liquefied natural gas has also shone a spotlight on the important role played by LNG exporters such as Trinidad and Tobago and Peru in easing market tightness,” the Paris-based agency added.
Oil currently accounts for 86 percent of energy consumption today in the Latin American transport sector compared with 91 percent globally.
“The share of oil in road transport will decline below 80 percent by 2030 to around 40 percent by 2050,” said the IEA, forecasting that 60 percent of bus and other vehicle transport will come from the “growing use of electricity and bioenergy” vehicles.
“However, rising incomes also prompts an increase in the ownership of appliances and air conditioners, which are the main drivers of electricity consumption growth,” it added.
Saipem, the Italian energy and LNG engineering company specializing in subsea work, has signed a letter of award with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) for a new contract related to the Hail and Ghasha natural gas development project in the United Arab Emirates.
Saipem said its share of the contract amounts to around $4.1 billion and has been awarded in consortium with the Abu Dhabi-based National Petroleum Construction Company (NPCC).
The project is aimed at developing the resources of the Hail and Ghasha natural gas fields, located offshore Abu Dhabi.
The fields lie in the Ghasha Concession block in water depth of around 328 feet and are expected to start commercial production in the next couple of years.
Saipem said the project scope of work encompassed the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of four drilling centres and one processing plant to be built on artificial islands, as well as various offshore structures and more than 300 kilometres (187 miles) of subsea pipelines.
Integrated
“The award is in line with Saipem’s unique capability to deliver integrated onshore and offshore projects, providing its clients with a single and reliable interface for complex full-field developments,” said the Milan-based company.
“Saipem will leverage on its state-of-the-art shallow water offshore vessels, its advanced welding technology for corrosion resistant materials, as well as its renowned engineering expertise,” Saipem added.
“This award reinforces Saipem’s long-standing relationship with ADNOC and further consolidates the company’s presence in Abu Dhabi, which includes an Engineering and Project Execution Centre, as well as a new Offshore Logistic base in Zayed Port,” Saipem explained.
ADNOC’s partners in the Hail and Ghasha gas development with a concession term of 40 years include Italy’s Eni, Germany’s Wintershall Dea and Austria’s OMV.
The multi-billion-dollar Hail and Ghasha project is also seen as playing a vital role in meeting the UAE’s gas self-sufficiency objectives.
It also comes at a time when a second UAE LNG production project plant is being developed at Al Ruwais Industrial City. The Ruwais LNG project consists of two 4.8 million metric tonnes annum liquefaction Trains with a total nameplate capacity of 9.6 MTPA.
The existing liquefaction plant on Das Island in the Arabian Gulf currently has export capacity of 6 MTPA.
Italian LNG and energy engineering company Saipem has been awarded a contract valued at around $4.5 billion by Qatargas for the North Field Production Sustainability (NFPS) offshore compression project to enable the Arabian Gulf nation’s two forthcoming expansions.
Saipem, the Italian energy and LNG engineering company and an offshore specialist, has been awarded a contract by Aker BP for a drilling campaign offshore Norway as upstream activities are set to increase.
Novatek, the Russian natural gas company whose Yamal LNG plant started operations just over a year ago, is making progress with its second venture planned for the Gydan Peninsula in the Arctic region with the awarding of another equipment contract.
Italian energy engineering company Saipem said it expected to be awarded an additional ramp-up contract worth over $1.2 billion for the huge Egyptian Zohr natural gas field in the East Mediterranean that has enabled the nation to end liquefied natural gas imports and to re-start LNG exports.
Saipem, the Italian energy and LNG engineering company, said it is part of a joint venture awarded a contract worth around $2.5 billion for the design and construction of the platform-based Arctic II LNG project being developed by Russian natural gas company Novatek.