Project Profile
Value: US$3 billion capital expenditure
Location: 150 kilometres southeast of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Capacity of processing facilities: 70,000 bpd of condensate and 320 million scfd of gas
Production: 1.5 million b/d (from the current 1.2 million b/d, an increase of 300,000 b/d)
Start-up Year: 2017
Saudi Aramco is preparing the expansion of the giant Khurais oil and gas field. In a first step Saudi Aramco selected the Khurais giant oil field offering significant opportunities to increase the production in some pockets of the reservoirs left untapped or under-developed. Khurais should increase by 300,000 b/d from the current 1.2 million b/d to 1.5 million b/d In Khurais the expansion project should include:
- Crude handling and stabilisation facilities
- Gas compression facilities
- Gathering pipelines system
- Offsites and utilities
With an estimated budget of US$3 billion capital expenditure, Saudi Aramco is expecting an effective production in 2017. The Khurais is located 150 kilometres southeast of Riyadh, in Saudi Arabia. The Khurais expansion project, which includes the development of the Abu Jifan and Mazalij fields, initially began crude oil production in June 2009. Its gas facilities treat the associated gas produced, and have the capacity to handle 70,000 bpd of condensate and 320 million scfd of gas. The project required the construction of oil gathering, water injection and gas distribution pipelines, an industrial complex for utilities and maintenance, an air strip and residential facilities for up to 1,200 personnel. Drilling work for 310 wells, initially scheduled to take three years, was completed 10 months early through a combination of innovative engineering and operations methods. The Khurais project required work in more than 14 locations and a workforce of more than 28,000.
Operators:
Saudi Aramco: Operator with 100% interest
Contractor:
Foster Wheeler: FEED contract
Saipem SPA (unit of Eni SPA): EPC contract for expansion of onshore production centres at Khurais, Mazajili, and Abu Jifan fields. Construction of facilities will allow an additional 300,000 b/d to be processed from Khurais field, while the installation of satellite facilities will reinstate production of 200,000 b/d from Abu Jifan and Mazalij fields.