ABK Field Holds Importance For Total’s New Abu Dhabi Concessions

Total boosted its presence in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) when Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC) awarded in March the French energy company a 20% interest in the Umm Shaif and Nasr concessions and a 5% interest in the Lower Zakum concession. Total paid a participation fee of Dh5.3 billion (US$1.4 billion) for the concessions, which will be operated by ADNOC subsidiary ADNOC Offshore.

Total is the largest international oil company  operating in Abu Dhabi, as it also operates  the Abu Al Bukhoosh (ABK) field. Production from Abu Dhabi fields accounts for about 12% of Total’s overall production, according to Hatem Nuseibah, president Total E&P UAE. ABK is where Total is testing technologies to boost recovery rates and production. Knowledge gained here could be applied to other Abu Dhabi reservoirs, including the recently awarded concessions, with similar characteristics.

“On the small reservoirs of ABK, the financial benefits from deploying these methodologies are not big; however, if the same methodologies are applied on the big fields of Abu Dhabi, then there will [be] a huge impact on the overall recovery of Abu Dhabi,”  Nuseibah said. “Therefore, ABK is a sort of a pilot field for all Abu Dhabi reservoirs.”