Abu Dhabi: Details about two key petrochemical and refinery projects which are set to be completed this year will be revealed during the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec), to be held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec) from November 10-13.
Over 60,000 oil and gas professionals from different countries will take part in the three-day event that will discuss challenges and opportunities over the next thirty years.
Organisers of Adipec have hinted that Abu Dhabi will this year deliver two key projects, the $10 billion (Dh36.72 billion) Ruwais refinery expansion of the Abu Dhabi Oil Refining Company (Takreer) and the $2 million Borouge project of Abu Dhabi Polymers Company. The success stories of these two projects will be shared with the delegates as part of the UAE downstream industry briefing session at the event.
Organisers have said that Ruwais is undergoing a major transformation to become the largest and most modern industrial complex in the world.
The $10 billion project is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of this year, taking Takreer’s overall refining capacity to nearly 1 billion barrels of refined products per day.
Takreer is a unit of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc). The Ruwais refining complex is located 240km west of Abu Dhabi city. It was inaugurated in 1982.
The expansion of Abu Dhabi Polymers Company’s Borouge 3 petrochemical complex will also be discussed during the three-day event. The project will be fully operational by the end of this year.
Other topics to be covered include US shale gas extraction and the demand for fuels and petrochemicals in the Middle East, new regional downstream projects and the possibility of oversupply of products besides new trends and technologies.
A number of top officials including Jasem Ali Al Sayegh, CEO of Takreer and Abdul Aziz AlHajri, CEO of Abu Dhabi Polymers Company will speak as part of the session on UAE Downstream industry.
Michio Kaku, an acclaimed physicist from the US will deliver the keynote address focussing on fracking and the changing dynamics of the oil and gas industry.
There will be a session on Mexico’s energy sector and reforms undertaken by the government there to welcome foreign companies to invest in their country. Francisco Alonso Escobar, Mexico’s Ambassador to the UAE will speak, sharing details about the country’s plans to attract foreign investment.
Media reports said that the Mexican government apparently held informal discussions with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and Mubadala Petroleum to invest in Mexico’s oil industry.
Ali Khalifa Al Shamsi, Adipec 2014 conference chairman and strategy and co-ordination director of Adnoc, said that new developments taking place in the US and other countries pertaining to shale are being viewed with great interest.
“We are learning from them. We will discuss shale gas and other non-traditional topics during the event. It is one of the important exhibitions in the world,” he said.
Adipec 2014 will expand from 35,000 square metres in 2013 to 40,000 square metres of exhibition space at the Adnec. Delegates from Russia, the United States and Italy will be participating for the first time.
