Sharjah National Oil Corporation (SNOC) has announced the start-up of its new gas storage project following a small-scale pilot phase using existing infrastructure that has been running since early 2017
The first gas was introduced to the project on 1 January and will help balance the gas supply and demand for Sharjah and meet the required supply flexibility for Sharjah’s power sector. The project was completed on time, on budget, and within a year of the EPC contract being awarded in December 2019. It marks a new era for SNOC following a turbulent year.
“The completion of this project is an outstanding achievement considering the local and international supply chain challenges we met due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was completed without any operational, safety or environmental incidents,” said Hatem Al Mosa, CEO of SNOC. “The timely launch of this project is a major new business development activity for SNOC. It will allow us to store excess gas in the winter to satisfy the summer peak demand as well as provide a readily available strategic reserve for energy security allowing us to respond to unexpected operational or market issues.”
The project included the installation of high pressure (HP) gas compression units, HP gas pipeline, utilities and support facilities, metering and tie-ins to existing plant and wells. It will be operated in a fully automated mode with world-class technical and safety standards. The new infrastructure is designed to allow future expansion.
