Canada-headquartered engineering consultancy SNC-Lavalin announced on Wednesday that it has been awarded a four-year advisory and engineering services contract by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) to support its offshore operations power project.

The $3.6 billion project, in partnership with Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA) is the first-of-its-kind high-voltage, direct current (HVDC-VSC) subsea transmission system in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

SNC-Lavalin said in a press statement that the project is expected to reduce the carbon footprint of ADNOC’s offshore operations by more than 30 percent, replacing existing offshore gas turbine generators with more sustainable power sources available on the Abu Dhabi onshore power network. This will be achieved by developing two subsea HVDC-VSC links from onshore Alternating Current (AC) power substations to artificial islands.

SNC-Lavalin’s scope of work includes the design review of the converter stations, the submarine cables, integration with the onshore and offshore grid, as well as reviewing the implementation plans for HSE, Quality Control (QC) and Quality Assurance (QA) of contractors. In addition, SNC-Lavalin will provide supervision throughout the construction and commissioning phases.

“Our work with ADNOC on this significant project will support the UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative and reinforces our commitment to work with our global clients on their net zero journeys,” said Ian L Edwards, President and CEO, SNC-Lavalin.

In December 2021, Zawya had reported that the project would be be funded through a special purpose vehicle (SPV), that will be jointly owned by ADNOC and TAQA (30 percent stake each), and a consortium comprised of Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), Japan’s Kyushu Electric Power Co. and Électricité de France (EDF).

(Writing by SA Kader; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@lseg.com)