Abu Dhabi awards $9.2 billion gas contracts


State-run Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd (GASCO) has awarded contracts for gas projects worth a total of $9.2 billion dollars to foreign firms, it announced today. GASCO, a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, has confirmed it has awarded contracts for engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPC) works for the Integrated Gas Development (IGD) project at the Habshan and Ruwais gas plants in Abu Dhabi. Under the IGD project, the plants will process gas produced offshore, part of a wider scheme to boost Abu DhabiÔÇÖs gas supply by around one billion cubic feet per day.  The processed gas will be used to fuel power stations and increase production of oil both onshore and offshore. The remainder will be sold domestically in the UAE. GASCO has said the projects will create up to 30,000 new jobs.  Winning companies included a consortium of Petrofac and KoreaÔÇÖs GS Construction and Engineering; a consortium of Japan's JGC and Italy's Maire Tecnimont; and Hyundai Engineering and Construction. In total, eighteen companies competed for the contracts. The awarded projects are expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2013, GASCO said. *┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á *┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á *