Business | Oil & Gas
Dolphin expects gas flow to hit full capacity from February
Some two billion standard cubic feet of natural gas will be delivered per day from February via the Dolphin gas pipeline connecting Qatar with the UAE, according to the chief executive officer of Dolphin Energy.
- By Himendra Mohan Kumar, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:41 January 23, 2008
- Image Credit: Ravindranath/Gulf News
- Ahmad Ali Al Seyegh, chief operating officer of Dolphin Energy.
Abu Dhabi: Some two billion standard cubic feet of natural gas will be delivered per day from February via the Dolphin gas pipeline connecting Qatar with the UAE, according to the chief executive officer of Dolphin Energy.
"Currently, about 1.5 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day is being transported through the pipeline. This month all our trains became operational. So we are building up capacity to reach two billion, which is the maximum capacity," Ahmad Ali Al Sayegh told Gulf News on the sidelines of the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) in Abu Dhabi.
"Ramping up [throughput] is a gradual process. But we should be able to do it in February," said Al Sayegh.
The Dolphin gas project involves production of natural gas from Qatar's offshore North Field, its processing onshore at Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City and transport of the compressed, refined gas to Abu Dhabi's Taweelah through the export pipeline. From Taweelah, the gas is being distributed by landline to contracted customers in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the Northern Emirates.
Early this year, Oman will also become a customer. Provision has been made to expand throughput of the pipeline to 3.2 billion standard cubic feet (bscf) per day from the current capacity of two bscf per day, subject to any future agreement between the governments of Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
"I am sure, in the life cycle of this pipeline there will be an agreement and we will be able to import more gas. But it's just early days at the moment," Al Sayegh said.
He said the success of the Dolphin project would not have been possible without the support of Qatar.
"We built our pipeline because we knew it will be needed in the future. Building pipelines is usually a 50-year investment. Without Qatar, we wouldn't have been able to reach this significant milestone," said Al Sayegh.
Al Sayegh said "at least $4.5 billion" has been invested in the Dolphin gas project to date and transportation of the gas from Qatar will be Dolphin Energy's "core activity".
"We do not have a [diversification] plan at the moment. Very few people understand how big this project is. Just to finish it and deliver the gas, it is a huge responsibility," said Al Sayegh.
"We are focused on meeting our objectives and hopefully, we will deliver this gas safely," he said.
Asked if Dolphin Energy has any plans for getting listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Market, Al Sayegh said: "Dolphin is a government company." He declined to elaborate.
Al Sayegh said Dolphin Energy is participating in the WFES as a sponsor of the Masdar initiative.
"Dolphin is a clean source of energy. That is why we are proud to be supporters of this summit. We would like to see this initiative go forward to its conclusion. By being able to support our energy requirements with this clean source, we think Dolphin is meeting not just local, but global commitments to the environment," he said.
More from Oil & Gas
More from Business
Business Editor's choice
-
Saudi-Bahraini economic ties hit new high
Whilst press reports continue speculating on a possible new political structure defining ties between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, facts on the ground confirm ever- stronger economic ties between the two neighbours
-
Cupid targets the Fed with early tweets
Declarations range from pure romance to cute overtures and racier fare
-
Do unemployment figures flatter to deceive?
Jobseekers and recruiters give out mixed signals ranging from optimism to downright despair even as official data show recovery
