Page 6 - MEOG Week 48 2021

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Aramco kicks off Jafurah development

SAUDI ARABIA SAUDI Aramco this week kicked off develop- contracts for subsurface and engineering, pro-
ment work on the Jafurah unconventional gas curement and construction (EPC) work valued
field, noting that it has awarded $10bn worth of at $10bn for the Jafurah Gas Plant and gas com-
contracts as it targets first gas mid-decade. pression facilities, as well as infrastructure and
The Jafurah basin, located near Ghawar, the related surface facilities.
world’s largest oilfield, is estimated to contain It said: “These contracts were awarded to
around 200 trillion cubic feet (5.7 trillion cubic domestic and international service companies
metres) of gas, around half of which is comprised and involve several projects to enable develop-
of liquids, and is Saudi Arabia’s largest deposit of ment of subsurface and surface components of
unconventional gas. the Jafurah programme.”
Aramco said that it anticipates production Aramco added: “This will allow for the reli-
from the field at 200mn cubic feet (5.7mn cubic able delivery of gas and condensates through a
metres) per day of gas in 2025, suggesting that dedicated surface network that includes a gas
its ambitious 2024 target has now been pushed processing plant, a gas compression system and
back following significant delays to contract- network of around 1,500 kilometres of main
ing because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) transfer pipelines, flow lines and gas gathering
pandemic. pipelines.”
However, it expects output to ramp up far The project also entails the construction of
more quickly now than under plans announced a bulk supply point, transmission lines, power
in February last year. Having previously said interconnection for the gas plant and new cogen-
sales gas would reach 1.1 bcf (31 mcm) per day eration plant facilities.
during phase one, it now sees a sustainable level Vitally for Aramco, peak gas output from the
of 2 bcf (57 mcm) per day being reached in 2030 company’s unconventional gas programme at
along with 418 mmcf (11.8 mcm) per day of Jafurah for use in the Kingdom’s power sector is
ethane and around 630,000 barrels per day (bpd) seen replacing “around half a million barrels of
of NGLs and condensates. The previous target crude oil per day that would otherwise have been
was to achieve 2.2 bcf (62 mcm) per day of sales used for domestic consumption”.
gas and 550,000 bpd of NGLs and condensates Jafurah alone is expected to replace more
by 2036. than 300,000 bpd, which will be directed to
Following the announcement last week by export markets, thereby aiding Aramco and
South Korea’s Samsung Engineering that it had the Kingdom in their respective 2050 and 2060
been awarded a contract estimated at around net-zero targets, though it should be noted that
$1.2bn to construct a gas treatment plant at Aramco’s goal does not currently include Scope
Jafurah, Aramco said it has now awarded 16 3 emissions.™

P6 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 48 01•December•2021