Abu Dhabi Gas Liquefaction (Adgas) said on Tuesday it expects to complete expansion of its natural gas processing facilities by mid-2018 to help meet rising local demand.

The project will develop and expand facilities to boost gas transfer from offshore to onshore as part of the UAE's plans to meet demand in the Gulf state.

Adgas said the expansion project at Das Island will add around 400 million cubic feet of gas per day to the current 1 billion cu ft per day from the offshore fields. It would also include extending an offshore pipeline.

State-run Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Co (Gasco) and Adgas said in February they had awarded about $1.6 billion worth of contracts for the project.

Adgas, majority-owned by Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (Adnoc), said last year that it planned to increase gas production to as much as 2.4 billion standard cu ft (scf) per day by 2017, from 2 billion scf per day. – Reuters