Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said that Saudi Aramco has discovered oil and natural gas fields in the Eastern Province and the Empty Quarter in the Kingdom.
The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted the Saudi Minister of Energy as saying that the fields included two unconventional oil fields, a reservoir of Arabian Light Oil, two natural gas fields, and two natural gas reservoirs.
Oil discoveries
Aramco discovered the unconventional Al-Ladam oil field in the Eastern Province after the flow of Arabian Extra Light oil in the Al-Ladam-2 well at a rate of 5,100 barrels per day, accompanied by about 4.9 million standard cubic feet of gas per day.
The company also discovered the unconventional Al-Furooq oil field in the Eastern Province after the flow of very light Arabian oil from the Al-Furooq-4 well at a rate of (4557) barrels per day, accompanied by about 3.79 million standard cubic feet of gas per day.
The discoveries included the (Aniza B/C) reservoir in the (Mazalej) field in the Eastern Province, after the flow of Arabian Light Oil from the (Mazalej-62) well at a rate of 1,780 barrels per day, accompanied by about 0.7 million standard cubic feet of gas per day.
Natural gas discoveries
Regarding natural gas discoveries, Aramco discovered the Al-Jahq field in the Empty Quarter after natural gas flowed from the Arab-C reservoir in the Al-Jahq-1 well at a rate of 5.3 million standard cubic feet per day, in addition to the Arab-D reservoir in the same well at a rate of 1.1 million standard cubic feet per day.
Aramco discovered the Al-Kutuf field in the Empty Quarter after natural gas flowed in the Al-Kutuf-1 well at a rate of 7.6 million standard cubic feet per day, accompanied by about 40 barrels per day of condensates. The Hanifa reservoir was also discovered in the Asikrah field in the Empty Quarter after natural gas flowed in the Asikrah-6 well at a rate of 4.9 million standard cubic feet per day, and flowed in the same well from the Al-Fadhili reservoir at a rate of 0.6 million standard cubic feet per day, accompanied by about 100 barrels per day of condensates.
Last Sunday, Aramco CEO Amin Nasser said that the company had signed contracts for the second phase of the Jafurah field expansion project and the third phase of its main gas network expansion project, worth more than $25 billion.
Saudi Arabia is seeking to develop its unconventional gas reserves, which require advanced extraction methods such as those used in the shale gas sector.
Jafurah is the largest unconventional, non-associated gas field in Saudi Arabia, and is likely to be the largest shale gas development project outside the United States, with reserves of 229 trillion cubic feet of gas and 75 billion barrels of condensate.
“By producing two billion cubic feet per day of natural gas by 2030, this bold initiative will strengthen Saudi Arabia’s position as one of the world’s largest gas producers,” Nasser said during the signing ceremony for the field expansion and main gas network contracts.
He added that expanding the main gas network means extending an additional 4,000 kilometers of pipelines, increasing production capacity by about 3.2 billion cubic feet per day and connecting several cities across the Kingdom to the network.
Al Nasser explained that there is a very large momentum in Saudi Aramco’s projects and capital investments as part of its growth strategy, which is positively reflected in the vitality and sustainability of the energy industry in the Kingdom, stressing that expansion in the gas sector is one of the most important growth drivers in the company.
