Tecnimont, part of Italy’s MAIRE Group, has broken ground on the Ruwais NGL (Natural Gas Liquids) expansion under ADNOC Gas’ ‘Rich Gas Development (RGD) Phase 3’ program at the Ruwais Industrial Complex in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, according to the report. Construction formally began with a groundbreaking ceremony held on September 21, 2026, and the EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contract is valued at approximately $4.3 billion. The project centers on a new fifth fractionation train at the Ruwais NGL facility, which is expected to reach a production capacity of roughly 8 million tonnes per year (about 23,000 tonnes per day) upon completion, with completion targeted for 2030, it was reported.
Under the EPC contract, Tecnimont’s scope covers the construction of a fifth NGL fractionation train at the Ruwais facility, along with treatment and sweetening systems, a regeneration gas treatment unit, a propane refrigeration system, and ancillary and storage facilities, according to the report. The new fractionation unit will separate NGL products including ethane, propane, butane, isobutane and pentane, which will supply feedstock to downstream petrochemical, fuel and gas-blending industries, it was reported. Tecnimont is executing the project through its Integrated Engineering and Construction Solutions (IE&CS) business unit under the MAIRE Group, having been confirmed as the EPC contractor by ADNOC Gas in August 2026. This groundbreaking marks the third phase of the wider RGD program, which alongside the concurrently awarded Phase 2 — a new gas processing train at Habshan awarded to Wison Engineering, valued at approximately $3.9 billion — forms part of ADNOC Gas’ broader gas-processing infrastructure expansion strategy, according to the report.
The Phase 3 EPC contract is valued at approximately $4.3 billion, and the completed facility is expected to have a production capacity of about 23,000 tonnes per day, or roughly 8 million tonnes per year, it was reported. Completion is targeted for 2030. The project owner is ADNOC Gas, and the EPC contractor is Tecnimont, part of Italy’s MAIRE Group. Across the broader RGD program, Phase 1 — which received Final Investment Decision (FID) in June 2025 — involved approximately $5 billion in investment, while the concurrently awarded Phase 2 (Wison Engineering) totals approximately $3.9 billion; combined, the new Phase 2 and Phase 3 EPC awards total approximately $8.2 billion, bringing cumulative RGD program investment, including Phase 1, to approximately $13.2 billion, according to the report. ADNOC Gas plans to invest a total of approximately $28 billion between 2026 and 2030, with the Ruwais NGL expansion forming part of that broader investment plan.
The groundbreaking follows the EPC contract ADNOC Gas awarded to Tecnimont in August 2026, and is intended to address the infrastructure needed to process growing volumes of associated gas as Abu Dhabi’s upstream gas development expands, according to the report. The Ruwais NGL expansion is proceeding alongside related infrastructure investments, including the approximately $3.6 billion, 120-kilometer MERAM NGL pipeline connecting Habshan and Ruwais.
This project reflects an ongoing wave of large-scale gas-processing and NGL infrastructure awards across the Middle East. As upstream gas field development expands, investment in the midstream processing and fractionation capacity needed to support it is becoming more pronounced, which is seen as creating substantial contract opportunities for EPC contractors and suppliers of rotating equipment, pressure vessels, heat exchangers and related equipment. In particular, high-value rotating equipment packages such as propane refrigeration systems, along with large pressure vessels and fractionation columns, carry significant order values and can generate ripple effects across the global equipment supply chain. The pattern of a single owner awarding multiple large EPC contracts within a short window also aligns with a broader ordering trend of spreading construction work across several EPC contractors within a single program to manage risk. In addition, given that the NGL products from this project are intended to supply petrochemical feedstock, the project underscores the growing importance of linked investment between upstream gas processing and downstream petrochemical industries.
First, the progress of the concurrently awarded Phase 2 (Wison Engineering, the new gas processing train at Habshan) will be worth watching alongside this Phase 3 project. Further milestones — including mechanical completion, commissioning and commercial startup — are expected to be disclosed sequentially as the 2030 completion target approaches, and progress at each stage will need to be confirmed. Which suppliers secure major equipment packages, such as propane refrigeration systems and large pressure vessels and fractionation columns, is also a point to watch. Additionally, it remains to be seen whether ADNOC Gas will award further follow-on gas-processing or infrastructure projects beyond the RGD program as part of its approximately $28 billion investment plan through 2030.