Saudi Arabia targets record oil drilling
Reuters reported that top global oil exporter Saudi Arabia is set to use a record number of drilling rigs this year as it ramps up production in the face of possible supply shortages due to Western sanctions on Iran.
Industry sources said that with oil exports by Iran, OPEC's second largest producer under threat, Saudi Arabia is expected to have a record 140 oil and gas rigs by the end of the year. Aramco is following an ambitious program to add rigs to accelerate field development in oil and gas.
The number of rigs operating in the world's second largest oil producer after Russia is already back to levels seen in the early 2008 oil boom at around 130 up from 100 at the end of the Q3 last year. Most are being used for oil drilling but others are probing for gas, being used for maintenance or drilling for water needed to reinject into oilfields to boost production.
Last year, industry sources said that Aramco planned to raise the number of drilling rigs it operates to pre financial crisis levels of up to 135 by the Q2 of 2012. Many of the additional rigs will be allocated to Manifa, as Aramco expedited plans to bring the 900,000 barrel per day oil field on line in Phases II from 2013.
Saudi industry sources said that Aramco sharply reduced its rig count from 130 to 104 as the global economic crisis hit demand in 2009. Once Manifa is fully online by 2014, Aramco plans to boost production at offshore oilfields Safaniya, Zuluf, Marjan and other onshore projects. Aramco is already implementing a project to maintain maximum production capacity at its huge Safaniya offshore oilfield.
Mr Khalid al Falih CEO of Aramco said that plans to reopen the country's first oilfield, Dammam which could add an extra 40,000 barrels per day are still under study. Dammam still accounts for 0.5 billion barrels of Aramco's proven reserves.
Mr Ali Al Naimi oil minister of Saudi Arabia said last week the kingdom had been meeting all its customers' needs and was prepared to raise output from current levels of around 9.9 million barrels per day to full capacity of 12.5 million barrels per day if needed.
But he expected output next month to remain steady and that demand for Saudi crude was unlikely to ever reach Saudi Arabia's existing 12.5 million barrels per day capacity because of rising production in other countries.
Source - Reuters