Leading international contractors have been invited to submit updated bids for the key Project Management Consultancy (PMC) contract for the development of the Dorra gas field on the Persian Gulf shelf. This project is being jointly implemented by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in the neutral zone between the two countries, despite an ongoing dispute with Iran, where the field is known as Arash.

The development of the field is being carried out by Al Khafji Joint Operations (KJO), a company established by subsidiaries of Saudi Aramco (Aramco Gulf Operations, AGO) and Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (Kuwait Gulf Oil Company, KGOC). The plan is to produce 1 billion cubic feet of gas and 84,000 barrels of condensate per day.

KJO is conducting several tenders for the Dorra project, with contract awards expected within the current year. One of the main tenders is the PMC contract, which covers design, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) work across multiple areas.

Recently, KJO requested updated technical and commercial proposals for the PMC contract and invited leading contractors to submit their bids. Among the invited companies are Wood, KBR, and Technip Energies. Other companies may also participate, but their names have not been disclosed. The deadline for new applications is set for August 17, with results expected later this year.

The scope of the PMC contract is significant: the selected contractor will oversee several onshore and offshore EPCI packages for the Dorra field. The offshore segment includes wellhead platforms, pipelines, control cables, a large central gathering platform, export pipelines and cables, distributed across three packages. The project may involve more than 50,000 tons of offshore structures, making it one of the largest EPCI projects in the region this year.

The PMC contractor will also be responsible for managing a separate onshore package, which includes a monoethylene glycol (MEG) regeneration unit, water treatment facilities, and other infrastructure.

Last year, Indian company Larsen & Toubro (L&T) won the tender for Dorra’s offshore package 1, which includes at least seven offshore wellhead foundations.

In September 2024, Iran once again raised the issue of the disputed field, asserting its sovereignty over it and rejecting Kuwait’s unilateral claims. The Iranian government has traditionally considered the joint development of the field by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to be illegal and contrary to international law. Despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Iran has not made any public statements about the field in recent months.