Saudi Aramco Discovers Major New Gas Resource in Jafurah Field

Saudi oil company Aramco has discovered more than 15 trillion standard cubic feet (scf) of gas in Saudi Arabia’s Jufarah Field, bringing the total resources in the field to 229 trillion scf. The new discovery also includes two billion barrels of condensate, bringing the total condensate resources at Jufarah to 75 billion barrels.

In November 2023, Saudi Aramco discovered two new gas fields in the Eastern Province and the Empty Quarter, both of which are expected to significantly increase the Kingdom’s total gas resources. During that same month, Aramco also began the production of unconventional tight gas, also known as shale gas, from its South Ghawar operational area, two months ahead of schedule. The extraction of shale gas requires specialised techniques and horizontal drilling in order to release gas reserves trapped between rock layers. 

As well as renewable energy investment, gas is one of the key oil alternatives that Aramco is seeking to exploit. In 2000, the national gas production capacity was two billion scf per day. As of 2022, the figure now stands at over 18 billion scf. The state-owned company is also investing heavily in renewable energy, with an aim to reduce their upstream carbon intensity by 15% by 2035.