Umm Al Lulu

Umm Al Lulu Oil Field Profile

Location

The Umm Al Lulu oil field is located in the Arabian Gulf, approximately 30 kilometers northwest of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Operator and Ownership

The field is operated by Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company (ADMA-OPCO), which is a joint venture comprising:

• Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) - 60%
• BP - 14.67%
• Total - 13.33%
• Japan Oil Development Company (JODCO) - 12% Additionally, OMV and Cepsa each hold a 20% interest in the concession area, which includes the Umm Al Lulu and Satah Al Razboot (SARB) fields.

History

• Discovery: The field was discovered in 1981.
• Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED): Fluor was awarded the FEED contract in the first quarter of 2010.
• Project Management Consultancy (PMC): AMEC was awarded the PMC services contract for Phase I in March 2012.
• Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC): The EPC contract for both phases was awarded to a consortium of NPCC and Technip in August 2013.
• Production Start: Initial production began in October 2014 using existing facilities of the nearby Umm Al-Dalkh Oil Field.

Development Phases

The development of the Umm Al Lulu field is divided into two phases:

• Phase I: Initial production was achieved through the modification of existing wellhead towers. Production was transported via an existing subsea pipeline to Zirku Island for processing.
• Phase II: This phase involves the installation of six new wellhead towers, a super-complex consisting of six bridge-linked platforms, including gas treatment, separation, riser, utility, accommodation, water disposal, and two flare platforms. The new gas treatment platform (ULGTP) is responsible for gas compression, dehydration, and sweetening. The platforms were installed using the float-over method, with significant pre-commissioning work completed onshore before installation.

Infrastructure and Facilities

• Platforms: The full field development includes six new wellhead towers and a super-complex of six platforms: gas treatment, separation, riser, utility, accommodation, water disposal, and two flare platforms. The total weight of these facilities exceeds 102,648 metric tons.
• Pipelines: The project includes 90 km of infield subsea pipelines, 125 km of main oil lines, and 100 km of fibre-optic cables.
• Gas Treatment Platform (ULGTP): A 35,274-ton platform built by NPCC, responsible for gas compression, dehydration, and sweetening.

Production

• Initial Capacity: Production started with an initial capacity of 50,000 barrels per day (b/d) in 2018, increasing to 129,000 b/d by the end of 2018 and targeting 215,000 b/d by 2023.
• Design Capacity: The field has a production design capacity of approximately 34.14 million barrels per year.

Processing and Export

The oil produced from the Umm Al Lulu field is transported via an export pipeline to Zirku Island for processing at the ADMA-OPCO's SARB project facilities.

Contractors

Key contractors involved in the project include:

• Fluor: FEED contract.
• AMEC: PMC services contract.
• Technip/NPCC: EPC contract for both phases, with Technip responsible for engineering and NPCC for fabrication and installation.

Investments

The total investment for the two phases of the Umm Al Lulu field development exceeds $2.5 billion.

Production Goals

The development of the Umm Al Lulu field is part of Abu Dhabi's broader plan to increase its total crude oil production to 3.5 million barrels per day. The field, along with the SARB and Nasr fields, aims to add 300,000 b/d of crude oil production to reach a daily capacity of approximately one million barrels by 2020.