Suez wins water treatment system contract in Oman

24 Feb 2021
Suez wins water treatment system contract in Oman

Project will use innovative and environmentally friendly techniques to dispose of oily wastewater produced from Rima oilfield in Oman

 

France’s Suez has been awarded a contract by Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) a design, build, own, operate and maintain (DBOOM) contract for the treatment of a 40,000 cubic metre a day (cm/d) of produced water from oil fields located in Rima.

The 20-year contract is worth €120m ($146m). Suez is the main shareholder in the scheme, with a 51 per cent stake, with partners Merit National Investments and Al-Shawamikh Oil Services each holding 24.5 per cent stakes.

The group will finance, construct and operate a large wetland system and evaporation ponds over a surface of more than 400 hectares using a technology designed by Wolf-Dieter Rausch, chief technical officer (CTO) of SusTeco.

Under the contract, Suez and partners will use alternative techniques to treat and dispose of treated water, which is the oily wastewater produced during the extraction and recovery of oil.

A large quantity of water is produced from the oilfields, with each barrel of oil producing five to ten barrels of water, according to Suez.

A series of basins will be built over a period of two years, seeded with different species of algae. The produced water will be circulating through these basins and purified by biological actions which consist of biodegradation of microalgae and bacteria.

The wetland environments, with different flow speeds and depths of water, will develop different mechanisms for pollutant absorption and will naturally treat the produced water. Once cleaned, the disposed water will be disposed into 300 hectares of ponds to be naturally evaporated under the sun.

 

In addition to preventing the disposal of hydrocarbon-polluted produced water in deep well aquifers, the project will reduce the oilfield’s carbon footprint with 180 tonnes of avoided carbon dioxide emissions equivalents (CO2e) per year. The project will also generate 82GWh (gigawatt hours) of energy savings a year compared to the conventional disposal method of pumping the water into deep aquifers under high pressure.

Energy & Utilities - Middle East and Africa Market, Outlook Report 2023.

This must-have report for industry players offers a thorough understanding of the latest developments, challenges, and opportunities in the region, supported by data, analysis, and expert insights. 

E&U Podcast

Subscribe to our Market Talk podcast for the latest on the key issues and trends in the energy and utilities sector

List your business

Create a business listing on the Energy & Utilities markeplace

Sign up for the FREE Energy newsletter

The latest news and analysis sent to your inbox.

Drop Us A Message
I have read, understood and consent to your Privacy Policy