ABB wins $79mn contract for Bab Onshore Project from CPECC
At 1,200 sqkm, the Bab Onshore Field is the largest onshore oil field in Abu Dhabi.
ABB has revealed it has been awarded a $79 million contract by China Petroleum Engineering and Construction Corporation (CPECC) to provide integrated automation, electrification and telecommunications for the upgrade of the Bab Onshore Field in Abu Dhabi.
Spanning 1,200 sqkm, the Bab Onshore Field is the largest onshore oil field in Abu Dhabi.
ADNOC Onshore awarded the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to CPECC to upgrade the field in 2015 with the state-owned producer targeting an increase from 420,000 to 450,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) at the field by 2020. ABB said the contract award was confirmed in Q2 2018.
The upgrade will include a fully integrated ABB Electrical, Control and Telecommunication (ECT) solution with 45 power and capacitor bank skids, as well as centralized and localized automation systems, said ABB in a statement. It is also deploying its ABB Ability digital oilfield technology to further enhance the ECT solution to remotely monitor and analyse field performance, “where multiple oil wells will be co-located in one place. Once installed, it is expected to reduce the oilfield’s operating expenditures by 10%-15%.”
“We are very proud to have won the contract on the basis of our ability to provide a fully integrated solution that leverages our industry-leading ABB Ability process control system. In addition, we demonstrated the strongest local footprint, with our equipment being built or assembled in the UAE and our services delivered by locally-based staff,” said Peter Terwiesch, president, ABB’s Industrial Automation division.
The level of In Country Value (ICV) offered when tendering for industrial projects in the UAE has become increasingly important over recent years since the UAE Government announced its policy to enhance the role of private sector in appointing and training nationals, he noted.
“Hiring and training Emiratis to become high-performing employees has been a focus for us in the United Arab Emirates in recent years,” added Terwiesch. “I am very pleased that our efforts were recognized by the UAE government in October 2018, when we received an UAE Emiratization Award.”
