The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Abu Dhabi Power Corporation (ADPower) have issued a joint tender for a subsea transmission system connecting ADNOC’s offshore oil facilities to ADPower’s onshore electricity grid
The joint tender sets out to develop and operate the region’s first high-voltage, direct current (HVDC) sub-sea transmission system.
The project is expected to reduce the carbon footprint of ADNOC’s offshore facilities by up to 30 per cent through ADPower’s efficient onshore power production.
Yaser Saeed Al Mazrouei, ADNOC upstream executive director, said, “This project will meet our future offshore power needs, even as our fields mature, using diverse and sustainable sources. It will lower ADNOC and the UAE’s carbon footprint, while at the same time enabling ADNOC to utilise the natural gas currently used to power our offshore facilities for higher-value purposes.”
Requests for proposal have been sent to international companies that have the requisite experience.
The transmission system will comprise two independent sub-sea HVDC transmission links and converter stations that will connect to ADPower’s onshore electricity grid – operated by its subsidiary, Abu Dhabi Transmission and Despatch Company (TRANSCO) – and provide a total installed capacity of 3,200 megawatts. The commercial operation is expected in 2025.
This project will be funded through a special purpose vehicle jointly owned by ADNOC (30 per cent stake), ADPower (30 per cent stake) and the selected developers and investors (40 per cent stake). The project is to be executed on a build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) basis.
The successful bidders, alongside ADNOC and ADPower, will develop and operate the transmission system, with the full project being returned to ADNOC at the end of the transmission agreement.
