MEED reported that Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Company has pushed back the final bid deadline for a pipeline contract on the more than USD 10 billion Shah Gas developments by a week.

Gasco, which is tendering the deal on behalf of the JV partners behind the scheme, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and the US’ ConocoPhillips has asked the firms to submit prices for the deal by March 7th 2010 rather than the original February 28th 2010 deadline.

The engineering, procurement and construction deal looks likely to be the first major contract to be awarded on the huge scheme to develop sour or sulphur rich, gas supplies from the southern Shah field. It covers the construction of product pipelines to carry natural gas, condensates and natural gas liquids from the Shah field to processing and distribution facilities at Habshan in the north of the emirate.

Bidding on other construction packages was pushed back until March in late 2009 and early 2010 as Adnoc and Conoco tried to make a decision on the best way to transport sulphur stripped from the natural gas from Shah to Habshan and Ruwais. They plan to use either a railway line or technically complex liquid sulphur pipelines.

A decision was due to have been made by the end of February but sources close to the project say the partners have given no indication of their plans to date.

(Sourced from MEED)