Solutions to maximise recovery from Saudi Arabia’s oilfields

Saudi Arabia

Wael Ramadan, CEO of Sawafi, talks to The Energy Year about working with Aramco to enhance oil recovery and maximise the useful life of its oilfields and the company’s R&D efforts to develop new technologies for the Saudi market. Sawafi is a provider of oilfield equipment and services specialising in drilling, well characterisation and well completion technologies.

How is Sawafi adapting to trends in the demand for EOR equipment?
ESPs [electric submersible pumps] are our most established, longest-term business and our biggest revenue generator. The business has been trending flat in 2025 because the market is shifting from equipment installations to maintenance, but the rest of our businesses are growing in the double digits.
Excelling in EOR and addressing the challenges of ageing fields requires a bespoke approach, as each field presents unique challenges and demands tailored solutions.
The process begins with technologies to characterise the problems accurately. Once wells have been characterised, the next step involves formulating solutions that can enhance production, maximise recovery and extend the field’s life, ultimately helping the customer achieve better cost-efficiency.
In EOR projects, we utilise specific technologies at the evaluation stage to characterise reservoirs and determine recovery levels. These efforts lead to better reserve booking and better planning for extraction. On the recovery side, artificial lift solutions are playing a crucial role. Today, ESPs are among the most commonly used artificial lift methods in Saudi Arabia, alongside pressure support.
Looking ahead, the next 10–20 years may see the introduction of new artificial lift methods and pressure support systems. It is too early to speculate on the specific solutions that will emerge, so we are exploring a range of enhanced recovery solutions and new technologies to support reservoir characterisation and recovery optimisation.

Does Sawafi prefer owning technology or bringing it to the market through partnerships?
We aim to own technology, whether outright or through joint ventures. However, our strategy does not involve developing every technology we need from scratch. Instead, we choose from the abundance of excellent technologies that are available globally and align well with our objectives.
Whether through partnerships, joint ventures or outright acquisitions, our goal is to bring value-adding, differentiating technologies to the industry in Saudi Arabia. Technologies enhance our brand and expand our solution set, allowing us to better serve the market.

What steps are you taking to expand your technology portfolio in the DHT [down-hole tools] space?
The DHT space is a priority for us. It is an important market segment, and its development aligns with our broader strategy of strengthening our capabilities through inorganic growth. In this context, Aramco has made it clear that they want to see tier-one local players, and we are fully committed to positioning ourselves as such a provider.

How do you plan to advance your range of reservoir exploitation technologies?
We have a strong and active R&D group, which we refer to as our research triangle, encompassing Houston, Aberdeen and the Dhahran Techno Valley. From all three locations, we collaborate closely with Aramco experts on various research projects. In addition to these research-focused initiatives, we have field operations that explore reservoir exploitation technologies on the ground.

What steps are you taking to prepare for handling greater volumes of business in a wider array of segments?
A key milestone in our expansion plans has been obtaining approval and licensing for our new facility at SPARK. We now operate with our partner Levare, one of the largest ESP products and services providers globally, with a capacity of 500 ESPs annually. This capacity will expand in the coming year to align with Aramco’s shift from installations to the maintenance of ongoing production.

Does Sawafi’s status as a Saudi company help in delivering solutions to Aramco?
Sawafi is a Saudi-owned company that also has the advantage of being independent, which allows us to avoid the conflicts of interest sometimes faced by larger service companies. Such companies may prioritise utilising their own solutions and not always in the best alignment with the client’s needs. In contrast, we provide bespoke solutions tailored to Aramco’s specific requirements, and we are excited to facilitate the adoption of new technologies in this way.

Does Sawafi use AI in product design? Does AI help optimise performance?
We use AI extensively, particularly in product design and improvement. It is especially valuable in ongoing projects. For example, in drilling hardware, AI helps balance the required mud flow rate with the physical integrity of the asset. This is a complex trade-off. Increasing the flow rate requires a larger flow area, but increasing it results in thinner and weaker housing.
AI helps us solve such complex calculations and balance flow area, resistance, wear erosion and material strength. It reduces the number of iterations needed and prevents costly failures. Saving assets from failure delivers immediate savings, but there is greater value in the long run from saving time by reducing design iterations.

Could you describe your global presence and how the company is positioning itself for growth?
Globally, through our completions business and our majority stake in UK engineering company Vulcan, we work with more than 100 customers across 40 countries. While many of these are regional accounts, our reach spans the globe. Interestingly, our fastest-growing region in 2024 was Asia Pacific.
We expect that the Middle East and North America will drive our growth in 2025. While North America is a mature market overall, we anticipate growth for us there. In the Middle East, our primary focus will continue to be the Saudi market, although we see opportunities for us in the UAE, Oman and Kuwait.

Does Sawafi participate in any initiatives to promote environmental awareness and sustainability within the oil and gas sector?
Our mission statement is to improve the livelihoods of people everywhere. It’s that simple. We do it by helping to bring oil and gas to the world sustainably, by being responsible stewards of the world’s resources and by being environmentally aware and responsible.
I truly believe that the oil and gas sector has done more for the advancement of humanity than any other sector. Despite current perceptions, we should not hesitate to acknowledge and take pride in this fact. It remains one of the most vital industries in the world, and we are committed to its responsible and sustainable development for decades to come.

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