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News in brief

01 June 2021

Al Salem York cuts energy consumption through chiller replacement

Saudi-based Al Salem Johnson Controls (York), a leading provider of integrated solutions in HVAC equipment, fire and security and building management systems, says it has been able to reduce energy consumption of its clients by 50 per cent through chiller replacement.

Over the last 10 years, it had succeeded in replacing more than 600 chillers for over 200 different projects across the kingdom.

Among the prominent chiller replacement projects implemented by Al Salem Johnson Controls (York) is the Makkah Construction and Development Company’s Hotel Towers, which consists of 10 hotel and residential towers, reaching a height of up to of 100 m and 37 floors, facing the mosque on the southwestern side, says the company.

It is the largest chiller replacement project in the company’s history to date.

According to Dr Mohanad AlShaikh, the CEO of Al Salem Johnson Controls (York) in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt and Yemen, the average lifespan of a chiller is between 20 to 25 years.

“When the chiller’s operation in a facility exceed 10-12 years, the power consumption and maintenance cost increase drastically; while the operational efficiency decreases,” he adds.

Twenty-five years ago, 44 York chillers were installed on the roofs of the towers, with a total cooling capacity of 10,700 TR, in addition to York air handling units inside the buildings.

In 2018, the first phase of chiller replacement began, and the last phase was completed recently, he added.

Engineer Mohammed Rajab Samkari, the Advisor to Chairman of the Board of Makkah Construction and Development Company, says: “The partial replacement of the chillers during the year 2018 has resulted in actual savings in operational expenses and electricity consumption equivalent to about 50 per cent, which was a strong incentive to completely replace the old cooling system.”

Al Salem Johnson Controls (York) conducted a holistic audit of the old cooling system, and accordingly designed and provided the optimal solutions, through replacing the old York chillers with new York YVAA chillers.

Mammoet wins Aramco gas project contract work

Mammoet, one of the world’s largest engineered heavy lifting and transport service providers, said it has secured a contract to provide heavy lifting and transport solutions for a major gas storage project being developed by Saudi Aramco at an area 260 km east of capital Riyadh.

The contract for Aramco Hawiyah Unayzah Gas Reservoir Storage (HUGRS) project was awarded by Samsung Engineering, the main engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for the project.

The plant comprises a gas injection facility with a capacity of 1,500 million standard cu ft per day (mmscfd) as well as a withdrawal facility which is capable of processing up to 2,000 mmscfd of gas. The project includes construction of a gas injection facility with booster and injection compressors, a gas reproduction facility with reproduction compressors and slug catchers, as well as various utilities and offsite facilities.

Over 60 components will be received either at King Fahad Industrial Port in Jubail or at a fabrication facility in Dammam and transported to the site for further installation. The heaviest components include four slug catchers, each weighing over 400 tonnes.

The scope of work includes associated port handling and customs clearance activities, obtaining of required permits from the Royal Commission and the Ministry of Transport, along with a close collaboration with Saudi Traffic Police to smoothly facilitate the project’s transport phase.

Over 200 lifts are expected to take place throughout the 17-month-long project. The facility is expected to be completed in 2023 and will enable Saudi Aramco to efficiently manage surplus gas volumes to meet seasonal demand.

Adnoc awards $318m EPC contracts for smart well installation

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) plans to connect newly drilled smart wells to the main production facilities in Bu Hasa at an investment of AED1.16 billion ($318 million), thus helping it to sustain production capacity of 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) at Adnoc’s largest onshore asset.

The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract has been awarded in two packages by the Abu Dhabi group’s subsidiary, Adnoc Onshore.

Package One, valued at $158.6 million, has been awarded to China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering Company, while Package Two worth $159.1 million has been awarded to Robt Stone (ME). The duration of the contracts is three years, with the option of a two-year extension.

The EPC award follows a competitive tender process and will see over 50 per cent of the combined value of both awards flow back into the UAE economy under Adnoc’s In-Country Value (ICV) programme.

The Bu Hasa asset, located 200 km south of Abu Dhabi city, is one of Adnoc’s oldest oil fields that have been producing since 1965.

Adnoc Upstream Executive Director Yaser Saeed Almazrouei said: “This EPC award demonstrates how Adnoc is leveraging advanced technologies, such as smart wells with state-of-the-art remote capabilities, to drive higher performance from our assets and resources, and to generate additional value. It will see up to 260 conventional and non-conventional smart wells installed, which enable remote operations.”