In 2006, huge gas reserves have been discovered in the South of Tunisia. The national oil company ETAP and OMV will develop the gas field within the Nawara project. It is expected that the produced gas will provide about 11 % of the Tunisian gas consumption.
ETAP & OMV awarded the consortium MAX STREICHER/ Bouchamaoui with the execution of a 374 km long pipeline.
MAX STREICHER carries out the pipeline works on behalf of the mother company. Within the project, STREICHER and Bouchamaoui are responsible for the execution as well as for engineering and procurement.
The 24“ pipeline runs from the gas processing facility in the South of Tunisia to the city of Gabés on the East coast. The pipeline is expected to be completed in 2017. First field activities started in April 2015.
In addition to the pipeline construction, the contract also includes the execution of intermediate valve stations as well as pig launching and receiving facilities and interconnections with new plants and existing facilities such as the central gas processing facility on the Nawara gas field.
Special working conditions
To achieve a quick working progress, three camps were installed along the route in order to perform several working activities simultaneously. In the South of Tunisia, the pipeline route mainly runs through the desert.
“The working conditions are completely different from Europe“, Giovanni Muriana, managing director of MAX STREICHER says.”In summer, the temperature reaches up to 45 degrees, in winter, sandstorms can suddenly occur.”
Therefore, the working day starts very early at about four o’clock in summer and the employees are protected against sand and noise by special equipment. As there are hardly any infrastructural limitations in the South, the activities have been progressing quickly.
However, the route runs through agricultural environment in the North. Consequently, the working progress is expected to slow down a bit towards the North, while reaching the city of Gabés.
With the development project, MAX STREICHER steps into a new market. “The Nawara project in Tunisia is an essential experience for us in North Africa“, Giovanni Muriana says.
“The country is expecting an important development in the oil and gas business, although the current low oil price is slowing down some investments. We will keep an eye on the business development and investment possibilities in this region in the future.”
