Introduction
Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd (GASCO) is operating company responsible for the processing of natural and associated gas from onshore oil operations in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. GASCO was incorporated in 1978 and established as a joint venture between Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), with a 68 per cent shareholding, Shell and Total, each with a 15 per cent shareholding, and Partex, with the remaining two per cent shareholding. GASCO was established following the directive of late His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nayhan, President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, to utilize Abu Dhabi's significant resources of associated gas which had hitherto been flared during oil production operations prior to its formation. Today, the associated gas is converted into a wide range of marketable products, which are used domestically and exported all over the world. In April 2001, ATHEER (Abu Dhabi Gas Company) a fully owned ADNOC company was integrated with GASCO. Following this integration GASCO became not only one of the biggest industrial complexes in the UAE but one of the largest gas processing companies in the world, with a process capability in excess of 5300 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (MMscfd), producing 230,000 barrels of condensate, 4700 tones of sulphur and over 20,000 tones of NGL (Natural Gas Liquids) per day. The gas processing and natural gas liquid (NGL) extraction operations take place at four desert plants: Asab, Bab, Bu Hasa and Habshan. The processed products are then transferred to GASCO's Ruwais Fractionation Plant (NGL), to other plants (Condensate and Sulphur to TAKREER - Ruwais and Raw Ethane to Borouge) and Gas to industrial customers including Dubai through a widely spread network of pipelines (4 ...