ESR Technology, one of the UK’s leading engineering consultancy organisations, has announced it has won a contract to supply specialist composite (GRP) pipework consultancy for the Ras Laffan Cooling Seawater System in Qatar.

Earlier, the company said it had doubled the size of its Middle East presence, following a successful six-month trading for its Abu Dhabi satellite office.
This latest contract has been awarded by Dodsal Group, the Dubai-based engineering, procurement and construction multinational commissioned to deliver the $1 billion cooling seawater system by state-owned Qatar Petroleum. 
ESR Technology will review and advise on issues relating to material qualification, system design and installation for the 76 km of GRP pipes and fittings ranging from 50 mm up to 4,000 mm. The basis for design of this project is ISO 14692 GRP piping, a standard published in 2002 by a technical committee chaired by Professor Simon Frost of ESR Technology.
The Dodsal project covers pumps as well as electrical and telecommunications systems at Ras Laffan in Qatar, a city with a thriving oil and gas production industry. The energy project will support the utility needs of Qatargas and RasGas in the production of liquid natural gas (LNG). The system will also supply seawater to Q Power to be used for cooling machinery involved in LNG production and the desalination of seawater.
“The Dodsal project is an innovative use of GRP piping,” said Geoff Eckold, ESR Technology’s engineering director. “ESR Technology has been at the forefront of the engineering and implementation of GRP for many years.”
ESR Technology strengthened its presence in Abu Dhabi in April 2006 with senior consultants from its UK operation, to better develop its Middle East opportunities.  It now plans to add another four staff to its team, through local recruitment.
The company was formerly the Engineering, Safety and Risk group of AEA Technology plc. Just over 12 months ago, along with a portfolio of other AEA businesses, it was acquired by Coller Capital.
Ian Weybourne, ESR Technology’s Middle East regional director, said, “We’ve had more than 15 years’ experience in the Middle East but had historically served our clients remotely from the UK.  This year, with our new, more aggressive investment strategy, we took the decision to develop our permanent presence.
Weybourne said the company had begun the recruitment process, and was looking at local as well as international recruitment.
ESR Technology is represented in Abu Dhabi by Emdad LLC.  For more than 25 years, Emdad has been a key supplier to the booming UAE oil and gas sector.  It now represents more than a hundred companies worldwide, bringing state-of-the-art technology to serve the expanding needs of the energy sector.