Saudi Gazette report

DHAHRAN — Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said that the Jafurah gas field project will provide Saudi Arabia with about two million cubic feet of gas per day, which will be used at peak times. He said that the Kingdom’s gas production will record an increase of 63 percent by 2030, with the production increasing to about 21.3 billion cubic feet from 13.5 billion cubic feet per day by 2030.

The minister made the remarks after witnessing the signing ceremony of contracts for implementing the second phase of the Jafurah gas field project and the third phase of the main gas network expansion project of Saudi Aramco in Dhahran on Sunday. Jafurah is the Kingdom’s largest non-associated gas field, which contains an estimated 200 million scf (standard cubit feet) of natural gas, which can help reduce emissions and provide feedstock for lower-carbon future fuels.

He said that the total production of the Jafurah field and the expansions in the gas pipeline network will contribute about $20 billion annually to the Saudi gross domestic product (GDP). “We are working with Saudi Aramco to increase exploration and discovery projects, taking into account the expansions that will come to the economy after the year 2030,” he said while indicating the necessity of starting work on them from now so that the Kingdom is ready for the 2040 goals.

Prince Abdulaziz said the ministry has worked with Saudi Aramco since 2019 to prepare a clear vision for the Kingdom’s goals in the energy mix, and the Jafurah field and the expansion of the gas network are a result of this work. “The gas network and projects contribute to stopping the burning of associated gas, equivalent to removing about one million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, and this is one of the foundations on which the Saudi Green Initiative was built, and this number is only part of the contributions made by the initiative,” he said.

The minister stated that the volume of methane emissions in the oil and gas sector in Saudi Arabia is 0.05 percent, while the rate in other countries such as America is 0.2 percent, making Saudi Arabia ranked second in terms of emissions of this gas globally.

“The capabilities and capacities available with Aramco, whether human or enabled in general, are sufficient to say that we are able to be proactive in developing our programs in a way that is consistent with the future need of our local economy,” the minister added.