TAQA is organised into three business streams: downstream, midstream and upstream.
Downstream (power generation and water desalinisation)
TAQA provides 98 per cent of the water and electricity requirements of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. This business has been the springboard of the company’s international expansion and TAQA’s power generation activities are now located in a further four countries (Ghana, India, Morocco and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia). The combined power capacity equates to 9,423 MW and 594 MIG/d of desalinated water capacity.
Midstream (storage, transportation, and processing infrastructure)
TAQA’s midstream operations are also spread across the world with three gas storage facilities in The Netherlands and Canada.
In 1997, the Peak Gas Installation (PGI) in Alkmaar, the Netherlands became operational, delivering natural gas to the Dutch national grid to meet additional consumer demand in the winter months. Its current contractual peak capacity is 36 million m3 a day and 500 million m3 maximum inventory. The Installation has nine wells which can be used for production and injection. At the contractual peak production rate the inventory can be emptied in 14 days. If any gas has been produced during the winter it is usually replaced during the following summer. The single gas drive injection compressor takes more than 110 days to replace the entire inventory.
Together with its partners, TAQA is planning on building a second gas storage facility near Alkmaar, the Netherlands: the Bergermeer Gas Storage. The facility will have a maximum inventory 8 times the size of PGI and is expected to be fully operational in 2013.
For more information about the Bergermeer Gas Storage project, please visit: www.gasopslagbergermeer.nl
In Canada, TAQA has a third storage facility located in Saskatchewan. The gas stored here is transported via the Alliance pipeline system – in which TAQA also has an interest – to Chicago where gas is sold more profitably.
Upstream (exploration and production)
The third component of TAQA’s business is one that grew significantly during 2007 and now comprises facilities in Europe and North America.
In Europe, TAQA has license to operate in four fields off the western coast of The Netherlands and after the acquisition of Talisman Energy’s Brae assets, it also has a presence in the UK North Sea and together these facilities comprise approximately 40 mmboe of proven plus probable reserves.
In North America, TAQA has over two and a half million gross acres of which 1.83 are as yet undeveloped. Also in this region, TAQA’s production was 36,656 boe/d. Both TAQA’s property portfolio and production facilities were boosted with the acquisition of Calgary-based PrimeWest Energy Trust in late 2007. This added approximately a further 45 per cent to the company’s land holdings and 127 per cent to its average production.
