Sharjah National Oil Corporation (SNOC) has announced that it started  a new gas storage project. This came after conducting a small-scale pilot phase using existing infrastructure that has been running since 2017, according to a press release.

The project included the installation of high pressure (HP) gas compression units, HP gas pipeline, utilities and support facilities, metering and tie-ins to existing plant and wells. It will be operated in a fully automated mode with world-class technical and safety standards. The new infrastructure is designed to allow future expansion.

Hatem Al Mosa, CEO of SNOC, said: “The completion of this project is an outstanding achievement considering the local and international supply chain challenges we met due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was completed without any operational, safety or environmental incidents.”

“The timely launch of this project is a major new business development activity for SNOC. It will allow us to store excess gas in the winter to satisfy the summer peak demand as well as provide a readily available strategic reserve for energy security allowing us to respond to unexpected operational or market issues,” Al Mosa added.

This project was completed within a year from the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract being awarded in December 2019 which is marking a new era for SNOC and will help balance the gas supply and demand for Sharjah as well as meet the required supply for the power sector.