Saudi Aramco receives approval for Jafurah gas field development

The Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) has received regulatory approval to develop the Jafurah non-associated gas field in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia.

Stretching across a length of 170km and a width of 100km, Jafurah is known to be the largest unconventional gas field in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia so far.

The field is expected to start production in early 2024.

Saudi Aramco noted that the output from the gas field would reach around 2.2 billion cubic feet (bcf) a day of sales gas by 2036 with an associated 425 million cubic feet (mcf) a day of ethane.

The field is also expected to produce 550,000bpd of gas liquids and condensates.

According to the company, the field development plan is subject to the usual governance process.

Saudi Aramco board of directors chairman Yasser bin Othman Al-Rumayyan noted that the Jafurah field development is expected to enhance the company’s position in the global energy market.

Saudi Aramco said in a statement: “Saudi Aramco plans to develop Jafurah in accordance with the highest environmental standards.

“The company expects that the development of Jafurah would have a positive financial impact in the long term, which will start to show on the company’s financial results in phases concurrent to the field’s development.”

Last month, Saudi Aramco awarded a $1.85bn engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to Samsung Engineering for a gas reservoir storage project in Saudi Arabia.

In the same month, the company’s subsidiary Aramco Overseas (AOC) extended a contract with Wood for two years for its unconventional gas programme.