ArabianOilandGas.com brings you a daily snapshot of what Arabic language daily papers and websites are reporting from across the Middle East.
Saudi gas reserves up 4% in 2008 to 267 trillion cubic feet
Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ali Al-Noaimi announced that the country’s gas reserves have increased 4% in 2008 compared to 2007, reaching 267 trillion cubic feet.
Al-Noami said that gas production from the Karaan offshore field, the first non-associated field in KSA, is expected to produce 1.8 billion cubic feet per day (cfpd). The Kingdom awarded the contracts for the field last February.
“Non-associated gas represent 58% of the gas production in the Kingdom,” Al-Noami said.
Recent data from Aramco has showed that gas production has increased 4.3% to 8.3 billion cfpd compared to 2007, while annual production has increased by 2.7%.
Source: Argaam
Aramco to start Khurais field next month
Saudi Aramco is expected to start production at the 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) Khurais oil field next month. The Saudi energy giant is also expected to reach its goal of producing 12 million bpd of oil in June according to sources close to the company.
Source: Al Watan
KNPC finishes Al-Ahmadi refinery maintenance today
Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) is expected to complete the maintenance of Al-Ahmadi refinery today. The refinery will operate with full capacity starting from today with a total refining capacity of 460,000 bpd.
The cost of maintenance was US$6.9 million, according to Assaad Al Saad, KNPC deputy vice chairman.
Source: Al-Rai Al-aam
Crescent Oil readies to receive Iranian gas in the UAE
UAE-based Crescent Oil Company hopes to resolve its issues over gas prices with Iran and resume exports to Sharjah very soon, referring to statements made by Iranian officials that they are checking equipment on the offshore Salman field.
Majid Jaafar , the executive manager of Crescent Oil, said that the testing of the equipment means that it will start pumping gas soon.
Jaafar also said that Salman field represents one of the major gas sources for the company.
Source: Al-Khaleej
Kuwait leading in oil exploration in Egypt
Kuwait was the leading Arab country in Egyptian oil exploration, an official from Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC) has said.
KUFPEC deputy managing director Abdulnasser Al-Fulaij said his company had made great contributions in oil exploration in Egypt, in addition to Australia, Tunisia, and a number of Southeast Asian countries.
Source: KUNA
KPC to complete first phase of free gas production
Kuwait Petroleum Company (KPC) is expected to complete the first phase of free gas production by the end of this month, according to the company’s deputy vice chairman Sami Fahed Al-Rasheed.
Free gas production in Kuwait has exceeded 100 million cfpd, and expected to reach between 140 million and 150 million cfpd by the end of this month.
The company also announced that they had submitted tenders for second phase of the project which aims to increase the capacity to 600 million cfpd by 2012. It now prepares for the third phase of the project which aims to increase the capacity to one billion cfpd by 2015.
Source: Al-Qabas
