MUSCAT, Oman, July 5 (NNN-ONA) – Petroleum Development Oman’s (PDO) Rabab Harweel Integrated Project (RHIP) has entered the start-up phase with gas production from the first sour wells, marking a key milestone for the mega project and coming two months ahead of schedule.
This represents a significant step in the commissioning process and work is progressing to initiate and stabilise the hydrocarbon processing facilities and to line up more wells. The plant’s capacity will be ramped-up in coming weeks.
RHIP is an integrated oil and gas development across the Rabab and Harweel reservoirs in southern Oman, which demonstrates many aspects of innovation, capital efficiency and sustainability.
It is the largest capital project in PDO’s history, representing a reserve add of more than 500 million barrels of oil equivalent.
Raoul Restucci, PDO Managing Director said, “Rabab Harweel is a world-class addition to our portfolio, coming in ahead of plan and well below budget. The investment returns are substantial, and, importantly, robust at low oil prices.”
He added, “This world-class, highly technical and complex project has been delivered by a team of skilled Omanis with an impressive safety record, overcoming significant logistical, technical and operational challenges. It is a great source of pride to everyone in PDO. I also want to take the opportunity to commend our strategic partners, Petrofac, CCC and Al Turki Enterprises for the sterling delivery and proficient collaboration.”
He further said that, the facilities were built to handle the production of oil and gas from the Harweel oil reservoirs via miscible gas injection (MGI) – an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) mechanism, pioneered by PDO – and the production of gas from the Harweel and neighbouring Rabab reservoirs.
Gas and oil production from RHIP will provide additional revenue that will contribute to economic growth.
He pointed out that the project posed significant safety challenges, not only due to its size and complexity, but also because of the presence of a toxic, high-pressure mix of hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide. These gases are highly corrosive, which necessitated the use of corrosion-resistant alloys in materials and equipment.
RHIP is designed to handle the toxic gases safely and effectively, incorporating significant learning from other similar PDO plants, including the Harweel Main Production Station.– NNN-ONA
