Adco grants $50m anti-corrosion contract to NPCC and Corrpo

The Abu Dhabi Co for Onshore Oil Operations (Adco) has undertaken one of the largest corrosion protection projects in the region to protect its 1,500 wells.

The $50 million contract has been awarded to an alliance of the local National Petroleum Construction Co (NPCC) and Corrpro of the US.

"Oil and gas companies in the region are facing major challenges in corrosion control and material selection due to exploration of more corrosive fields and increase in corrosovity of existing fields," Saleh Al Ameri, engineering services manager of Adco, told an international conference.

"As a major step towards preventing corrosion, Adco has awarded one of the largest corrosion protection projects in history to protect all its 1,500 wells."

The project, which will will be completed around 2007-08, entails cathodic protection technology to be installed in all the wells.

Adco, which celebrated 40 years last year since its first oil shipment was made, has also embarked upon an ambitious Asset Integrity Management System and has installed a risk-based assessment system. Adco has also conducted a company-wide corrosion awareness campaign.

Andre Van Strijp, Adco's general manager, said the company is supporting a number of research projects including some related to materials and corrosion at the UAE University, Al Ain.

Adco continues to develop several new oil fields around Abu Dhabi and is building sustainable crude oil production capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd) by 2006. Current production from Adco's five main oil fields is some 1.1 million bpd.