Saudi Aramco Produces First Unconventional Tight Gas from South Ghawar

Saudi Aramco announced today, Tuesday, that it has "successfully produced the first unconventional tight gas from its operations in South Ghawar" as part of its strategy "to increase gas production." Aramco stated, "The processing capacity at the facilities that have been operational in South Ghawar is 300 million standard cubic feet per day of raw gas and 38,000 barrels per day of condensate processing capacity." Aramco aims to increase its gas production "by more than half of the production in 2021 by 2030." The strategic goal for South Ghawar is to provide about 750 million standard cubic feet per day of raw gas in the near future. In late September, Aramco announced "the signing of final agreements to acquire a strategic minority stake in Med Ocean Energy for $500 million... with an option to increase its stake" as it moves towards natural gas. The CEO of Aramco stated last month that the company is considering further investments in liquefied natural gas to enhance its plans to become a major player in the maritime gas market. Tight gas refers to a type of unconventional gas that requires advanced extraction methods.