Last Sunday, a Saudi Aramco official announced at Manama’s Petrotech 2014 that the front-end engineering and design for the new 115-kilometre-long crude oil pipeline…
READ MORESaudi Arabia's Energy Industry
in figures
Oil reserves297.5 billion barrels
Oil production10.94 million bopd
Gas reserves6 tcm
Gas Production117.3 bcm
Saudi Arabia: Dominance and Diversification
Saudi Arabia’s oil and gas industry has lifted the nation into being one of the richest nations in the Middle East. The country holds around 17% of the world’s hydrocarbons reserves and maintains one of the world’s largest oil production capacities, just behind the US. Saudi Arabia also holds the world’s sixth-largest natural gas reserves after Iran, Russia, Qatar, Turkmenistan and the US. The OPEC member’s oil exports account for 70% of the country’s output and support more than half of the government’s revenues. All areas of Saudi Arabia’s oil and gas industry are driven by NOC Saudi Aramco.
While Saudi Arabia has more than 100 different producing fields, eight of them are responsible for the majority of the country’s oil production. Most notable is the Ghawar field, the world’s biggest oilfield, and the Safaniya field, the world’s largest offshore oilfield. Most of Saudi Aramco’s investments go towards maintaining its upstream operations.
Saudi Arabia’s downstream operations have received massive funding as part of the country’s diversification roadmap. The nation now produces base oils, lubricants and chemicals, such as aromatics, olefins, polyolefins, polyols, isocyanates and synthetic rubber. In 2020, Saudi Aramco acquired 70% equity in Saudi Basic Industries Corporation, a local diversified chemicals company with operations in US, Europe, Middle East and Asia, further consolidating its downstream market.
The nation’s target to become carbon neutral by 2060 is being led through heavy financing of renewables developments, including blue and green hydrogen. Investment is backed by Saudi Arabia’s National Development Fund set up in 2017. The country has tremendous solar capacity and aims to harness its potential to have 50% of its power generation coming from green sources by 2030. While developments are underway, the country still relies heavily on hydrocarbons to meet its high energy consumption.
Tareq Qaddumi, CEO of SPETCO, talks about developing novel solutions for gas processing and expansion plans in Kuwait’s…
READ MOREAs an established global petrochemicals exporter, Trinidad is well positioned to take the lead as a green commodity producer.
READ MORESaudi Arabia reports
More reportsBaker Hughes has won a gas technology equipment supply contract from Saudi Aramco, via Worley, for the Master Gas System.
READ MOREKCA Deutag has secured $204 million in land drilling contracts in Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bolivia and Peru.
READ MOREAramco has awarded EPC contracts worth USD 7.7 billion to expand production at Fadhili gas plant.
READ MOREFaisal Malallah of Al Kout Industrial Projects talks about Kuwait's market for chemical products.
READ MORESaudi Arabia has been producing crude oil at record-high average levels of around 10 million barrels per day in 2013. However, there are prerequisites for Saudi Arabia…
READ MORESaudi Arabia is shifting its export focus on the East with hopes to capture the rising demand in China and the region. The Saudi government is expanding commercial and…
READ MOREDeloitte partner Kenneth McKellar gives his view of how Bahrain should align its natural gas supply and demand balance. McKellar is responsible for managing…
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