Aramco has announced the production of the first unconventional tight gas from its South Ghawar operational area two months ahead of schedule, which further supports Aramco’s strategy to increase gas production by more than half over the next decade, subject to domestic demand.

The commissioning of facilities at South Ghawar has resulted in a processing capacity of 300 million standard cubic feet per day (scfd) of raw gas and 38,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) of condensate processing capacity.

Nasir Al-Naimi, Aramco Upstream President, expressed his pride in the team’s ability to commence production ahead of schedule and below budget. “The ability to commence production two months ahead of schedule and below budget is testament to the unwavering dedication of our people and their determination to continuously enhance our upstream operations,” he said.

In response to the growing demand for gas, Aramco plans to more than double the overall processing capacity at South Ghawar. The strategic goal is to deliver 750 million scfd of raw gas in the near future, ensuring a stable and reliable supply to meet the country’s energy needs.

“This first production of unconventional tight gas from South Ghawar is a milestone that demonstrates real progress on our gas expansion strategy, which we believe has a role to play in meeting the Kingdom’s needs for lower-emission energy and supporting growth in the chemicals sector,” Al-Naimi noted.

This achievement at South Ghawar is not the first for Aramco in the unconventional gas sector. The company previously commenced production at the North Arabia field in 2018, delivering 240 million scfd to customers in Wa’ad Al-Shamal. Additionally, Aramco is making progress at the Jafurah unconventional gas field, the largest liquid-rich shale gas play in the Middle East.