Saudi Aramco is reportedly close to awarding gas contracts at its Shaybah and Manifa oilfields, reports IHS Global Insight.
Dow Jones has claimed that a large number of contractors are bidding for the jobs, which will concentrate on associated gas at the offshore Manifa field and natural gas liquids at the Shaybah field.
Companies which are said to have bid for the projects include Fluor, Foster Wheeler, SNC Lavalin Gorup and Technip, as well as a number of smaller regional and domestic companies. Industry estimates put the projects combined worth at US$6.9 billion.
“ Saudi Aramco is scrambling to raise its sales gas production capacity in order to bring sufficient gas onstream in the Kingdom to stave off grave power generation feedstock shortages,” Samuel Ciszuk, Middle East energy analyst, HIS Global Insight reported.
“As it completes the last leg of its crude production capacity hike, this is increasingly becoming the main priority, with the spare oil production capacity cushion giving it some respite from again having to undertake large oil investments,” he added.
