Subsurface capabilities to map Saudi Arabia’s resources

Saudi Arabia

Sean Siegfried, CEO of Saudi Geophysical, talks to The Energy Year about investing in equipment to support Saudi Arabia’s growing mining sector and the company’s geographical expansion plans in the GCC. Saudi Geophysical is a subsurface services company specialising in geophysical, hydrogeological and environmental surveys.

What services does Saudi Geophysical offer to Saudi Arabia’s energy industry?
Saudi Geophysical was founded by Abdulwahab Alahmari to help farmers locate water sources. What started as a small operation with just a pickup truck and basic geophysical equipment evolved into a specialised geophysical and geological services provider. The turning point came in 2004 when Saudi Geophysical secured its first contract with Saudi Aramco, which set the foundation for expansion into various Aramco-related businesses.
One of our core competencies is near-surface geophysics. We assess land conditions before Aramco constructs buildings, drills wells or erects oilfield infrastructure. A significant milestone was when Aramco entrusted us to source geologists and geophysicists from abroad to work under its sponsorship within Aramco’s operations. It was a major expansion of the company’s role in the Aramco ecosystem.
Today, Saudi Geophysical operates in two primary areas. The first is staffing and consulting services. We provide skilled technical and non-technical personnel to Aramco, including geologists, geophysicists, petroleum engineers, rig foremen and expediters. The company currently has more than 400 consultants on Aramco contracts, both in field and office roles.
The second area is geophysical and geological services for oil, water and mineral exploration. The company continues to locate water sources for both Aramco and government institutions. This division has been growing at an annual rate of 40-50% in recent years, and we see much potential to expand further and support Saudi Arabia’s giga-projects and entities such as the royal commissions for Riyadh City and Al Ula. To support this expansion, the company is investing heavily in technology, training and the development of local talent.

Can you provide an overview of the most important technologies that Saudi Geophysical utilises?
Saudi Geophysical has made significant investments in near-surface geophysics equipment over the past two years. We have advanced tools for ground-penetrating radar studies, electrical resistivity tomography and magnetotellurics. These technologies allow us to conduct high-precision subsurface investigations up to depths of 1,000 meters.
All of our near-surface geophysical equipment has been sourced from leading global providers, primarily Iris Instruments in France and Geometrics in the US. We want to use state-of-the-art tools to deliver accurate and reliable data for our clients.

What makes Saudi Geophysical stand out among other providers of geophysical and geological services?
Saudi Geophysical specialises in shallow exploration up to 1,000 meters for salt, water and mineral mapping. Unlike many of our competitors, we own all our equipment and can deliver fast, reliable results without external providers.
We are a proudly Saudi company with a team that has worked in the Arabian Shield for more than 15 years. Our chairman has a strong reputation and credibility with Aramco and key institutions, but to further reassure our clients, we engage independent consultants to oversee our projects and ensure maximum transparency.
Competing with industry giants such as SLB and Baker Hughes is a challenge, but we differentiate ourselves through our agility, local expertise and ability to provide world-class services without foreign support.

How much of your business is geared towards the mining sector?
In 2023, we invested USD 1.5 million in equipment for mining projects, and we invested another USD 2 million in 2024. Mining regulations are still under development, and there are obstacles to securing licences and acreage from the relevant authorities, which makes it difficult to approach companies such as Ma’aden, Barrick or Anglo American and immediately begin work.
We made the strategic decision to purchase equipment in anticipation of future mining opportunities. It has been ready and waiting, and we use it in the interim for infrastructure projects because mining business has been slow to come. We remain prepared, however, for when the mining sector becomes more dynamic.

What objectives have you set for Saudi Geophysical?
In the near term, our focus is on growing our revenue in Saudi Arabia while reducing our dependency on Aramco. Over the next two years, we want to grow our presence in the region. We have made inroads into Bahrain with a contract, an office and a growing team, and we have entered into agency partnerships in the UAE and secured a contract in Kuwait. Our strategy is to focus on GCC markets within a two-hour flight radius where we can conduct business in Arabic or English.
Looking further ahead, we may consider selling a minority stake to an investor with a reputable brand seeking to enter the Saudi market. That might be on the horizon by 2028-2029 if our revenues, profitability and diversification continue to progress adequately.

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