Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company, ADMA-OPCO, the emirate's leading offshore company, and British Petroleum, BP, have signed agreement to develop a new technology for Enhanced Oil Recovery, EOR.
Signed during a recent visit by ADMA-OPCP officials to BP in UK, the new agreement for performing a Carbonate Ionic Design EOR study developing a technology similar to the LoSal EOR technology, which BP is deploying at the Offshore UK Clair Ridge field but applied to carbonate reservoirs, "will be a significant step forward," said ADMA-OPCO in a press release.
"Under the agreement, BP will provide support to ADMA-OPCO in conducting a Single Well Chemical Tracer Test, SWCTT, and carrying out laboratory tests to evaluate Carbonate Ionic Design EOR potential in ADMA-OPCO's fields." EOR has been identified as a key technology for improving recovery. BP is also leading other key projects on behalf of ADMA-OPCO including the rebuilding of reservoir models.
More than 30 of BP's technical experts are seconded into ADMA-OPCO. They play a key role in actively managing the giant fields of Lower Zakum and Umm Shaif, and delivering the new Umm Lulu and Nasr projects.
ADMA-OPCO officials, Chief Executive Officer Ali R. Al-Jarwan, and Ahmed Al-Hendi, Senior Vice President for Subsurface Technology, Abdul Karim Al Mazmi, President and General Manager of BP U.A.E., met with key BP's Upstream Heads of Function for Reservoir Development and Technology, Ian Cavanagh and Ahmed Hashmi, and the Vice President for EOR Technology, John Peak. They visited BP laboratories in the UK, BP's EOR laboratories in Sunbury and Pangbourne, the Castrol research centre in Pangbourne. Their visit to the EOR laboratories in Pangbourne was a first ever for visitors from outside BP.
ADMA-OPCO Chief executive Officer, Ali R. Al-Jarwan said, "We are pleased to partner with our Shareholder, BP, in this important programme. EOR technologies will play a key role to meet the energy demand in Abu Dhabi in the years to come and we, at ADMA-OPCO, have an aspiration to reach a recovery factor of 70% for our fields by the end of the fields' life." BP U.A.E. President and General Manager Abdulkarim Al Mazmi, said, "This partnership demonstrates BP's commitment to Abu Dhabi and to ADMA-OPCO, and our interest to share our global expertise and technology with our partners for the long term and continue to play a key role in Abu Dhabi's oil industry for many years to come in support of Abu Dhabi's 2030 vision".
BP has been in partnership with ADMA since 1953 and currently has a 14.67% share in the ADMA-OPCO JV. Other shareholders are the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, ADNOC, (60%), Total (13.33%) and Japan Oil Development Company, Jodco, (12%).
Production from the ADMA concession started in 1963. Around 3,000 employees work on the fields, 60% of them Emirati nationals. The ADMA concession covers four shallow water offshore oilfields with a series of stacked carbonate reservoirs in each of the fields: Lower Zakum, Umm Shaif, Umm Lulu), and Nasr.