Qatargas has awarded Saipem a $1.7bn contract for the development of the North Field Production project. The project aims at increasing the early gas field production capacity to 110m tonnes per annum.
The new contract is said to consolidate the group’s position in Qatar, and is said to be the latest in a string of projects awarded to Saipem since its return to the country in 2018, with the Barzan project.
According to a statement from Saipem, the scope of work encompasses the engineering, procurement, construction and installation of various offshore facilities for the extraction and transportation of natural gas, including platforms, supporting and connecting structures, subsea cables and anticorrosion internally cladded pipelines. It also includes the decommissioning of a pipeline and other significant modifications to existing offshore facilities.
“Saipem is well positioned and actively executing various contracts in Qatar, a key market for us with several offshore investments expected to progress in the near future. This acquisition by Qatargas consolidates our position in the gas sector, confirms our strategic role in the energy transition and represents a token of confidence in Saipem’s experience and proven ability to successfully execute and deliver challenging projects,” said Saipem E&C Offshore Division COO Stefano Porcari.
The company stated that pipe-laying and lifting operations will be executed by the DE HE vessel in water depths of approximately 65m, leveraging Saipem’s high-end welding technology for corrosion resistant cladded pipelines to meet the client’s stringent quality requirements.
The statement noted that Saipem is already executing the WHP12N Jacket project, which was awarded in July 2020, which is part of the North Field Production Sustainability Offshore Project development. This new contract award is included in December 31 backlog.
Saipem said it has recently expanded its offices in the country and strengthened its fabrication capability by cooperating with a local fabrication yard, offering a sustainable Qatar-based execution scheme.
Porcari concluded, “Furthermore, it also confirms the relevance and effectiveness of the early engagement model adopted through our division XSIGHT, which recently concluded, ahead of time, the front-end engineering design contract for the whole NFPS development programme.”
