Another construction site has been fenced off between the desert and refinery chimneys in the Ruwais Industrial Zone in southwest Abu Dhabi. In September 2026, Italian contractor Tecnimont shoveled the first batch of sand here, announcing that a production line with a total investment of 4.3 billion US dollars had officially entered the construction phase. In four years, a new natural gas condensate distillation unit will be erected here to separate ethane, propane, and butane that were originally mixed in the feed gas one by one, and send them to the plastic plant, heating fuel tank, and gasoline blending tank.

The fifth set moved the soil

This device, known as the Ruweis NGL-5, is the core of the third phase of Adnoc Gas' rich gas development plan. Adnoc Gas is a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company responsible for natural gas processing. In August of this year, it handed over the design, procurement, and construction general contract for this phase to Tecnimont for a total amount of $4.3 billion.

According to the scope disclosed by Maire, the parent company of Tecnimont, the construction involves much more than just one distillation tower: in conjunction with the distillation unit, there are also treatment and desulfurization systems to remove impurities and ensure product quality, regeneration gas treatment units, propane refrigeration systems, auxiliary systems, and storage facilities. A more detailed engineering list also includes a natural gas condensate fractionation plant with a daily processing capacity of 22000 tons, as well as downstream processing units, sulfur recovery units, product storage and loading facilities, supporting utilities, flares, and pipelines connecting existing units; Two propane liquefied petroleum gas storage tanks and one paraffin naphtha storage tank; Central control building, external stations, substations, and convenient facilities in the factory area. Electricity is transmitted from the nearby Transco substation to the project site through underground buried cables.

Adnoc Gas requires that the design basis of the new unit be updated based on the fourth distillation unit of Ruwais, which was put into operation in 2014 and has a daily processing capacity of 27000 tons. The new facility is planned to be completed by 2030, with a processing capacity of 23000 tons per day, approximately 8 million tons per year.

Habchan was born at the same time

At the same time as the final investment decision for the third phase was finalized in August, Adnoc Gas also secured a bid for the second phase of the Rich Gas Development Plan, with a total investment of $8.2 billion for both phases.

The second stage is at the Habchan Complex in Abu Dhabi, which involves the construction of a new natural gas processing unit. The EPC contract is worth 3.9 billion US dollars and was won by China Wison Engineering. This Hong Kong listed company claims that the total contract value, including the supporting 220 kV switchgear, is 4.04 billion US dollars, making it the largest contract in the company's history. The scope of work covers natural gas pipelines, separation and condensate stabilization units, acid gas removal units, and deep natural gas condensate recovery units. Adnoc Gas stated that this facility will expand natural gas processing capabilities, enhance operational flexibility, and support the continuously expanding downstream and petrochemical industries in the UAE.

Towards self-sufficiency in natural gas

Beyond the two contracts, there is a bigger game of chess. The Rich Gas Development Plan is being implemented in three phases, with the first phase of approximately $5 billion awarded in June 2025. The cumulative investment in these three phases has reached $13.2 billion, making it Adnoc Gas' largest capital expenditure to date. The company plans to invest approximately $28 billion between 2026 and 2030, and its EBITDA growth target has been raised from 40% to 60%.keywords:Engineering infrastructure

Currently, Adnoc Gas supplies approximately 60% of the natural gas demand in the United Arab Emirates. After the completion of the Rich Gas Development Plan, it is expected to add approximately 1.5 billion standard cubic feet per day of processing capacity. For the United Arab Emirates, this means that more raw gas is no longer idle, but is split locally into higher value liquid products - feeding domestic industries and power plants, as well as being shipped and exported to more than 20 countries. Ruweis' bulldozer has already started, and the rest is only waiting for acceptance in 2030.Editor/Yang Meiling