The Mahani onshore gas and condensate field located in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE) came on stream with the start of production from the Mahani-1 well in January 2021.
State-owned Sharjah National Oil Corporation (SNOC) is the operator and holds a 50% interest in the Mahani field while the remaining 50% interest is held by Italy’s Eni.
The Mahani-1 gas and condensates discovery was announced by the development partners in January 2020. It was the first onshore field discovery in Sharjah since the early 1980s.
Eni picked up a 50% interest in the onshore concession Area B in a 30-year partnership with SNOC in January 2019. The Italian oil company secured interest in the Area B through the first international competitive exploration licensing round conducted by the SNOC in 2018.
Project Gallery
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The Mahani gas and condensate field in Sharjah, UAE commenced production in January 2021. Image courtesy of SNOC.
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Eni secured a 50% interest in the Area B through the first international competitive exploration licensing round conducted by the SNOC in 2018. Image courtesy of Sharjah Government Media Bureau.
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The Mahani-1 well stream is transported through a multiphase pipeline to the SNOC-operated Sajaa gas processing plant. Image courtesy of SNOC.
Location and reservoir details
The Mahani field is located in the onshore Concession Area B, Sharjah, UAE. The Area B is spread over approximately 264km2.
The Mahani-1 wildcat exploration well was drilled into a thick gas-bearing limestone reservoir in the Lower Cretaceous Thamama formation. Drilled to a measured depth of 14,597ft, the well was tested at flow rates of up to 50 million cubic feet a day of lean gas and associated condensate in January 2020.
The project partners are focused on the Jurassic and the Cretaceous plays of the Arabian carbonate platform in the inner thrust zone of the Oman Fold belt.
Field development details
The Mahani field development involves the drillings new production wells and connecting them to the existing infrastructure. Currently, the field is producing from the Mahani-1 well while a new 23km-long pipeline was laid as part of the field development.
The Mahani-1 well stream is transported through a multiphase pipeline to the SNOC-operated Sajaa gas processing plant.
The size of the gas and the associated condensate reserves in the field are planned to be ascertained by conducting well pressure tests following the initial production for a certain period of time.
The production from the field is expected to reach 18,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day by 2022. The major proportion of the gas produced from the Mahani-1 well is supplied to the Sharjah Electricity, Water and Gas Authority (SEWA).
Contracts awarded
Lamprell was awarded the engineering, procurement, installation, and commissioning contract (EPIC) for the Mahani gas and condensate field development in May 2020. The contract value was estimated to be between £4.9m ($6m) and £40.8m ($50m).
The contract is specific to the Mahani Extended Well Test project. The scope of the contract included the hook-up and installation works at the well, existing systems upgrade, associated tie-ins, and a new 25km export pipeline.
The KCA Deutag-owned T-202 land rig was deployed to drill the Mahani-1 well.
Eni’s presence in Sharjah Emirate
Eni was awarded all the three onshore Concession Areas A, B and C in the first international competitive exploration licensing round conducted by the SNOC in 2018. Eni is the operator for Area A and C, while SNOC is the operator of Area B.
Eni holds a 75% stake in the Concession Area A and C, while the remaining 25% stake is held by SNOC. The concession areas A and C are spread over 437km2 and 1,184km2 respectively.