Geology meets technology
In 2011, Saudi Aramco continued using industry-leading technology for its Kingdom-wide exploration efforts, focusing on frontier areas in the Red Sea and complex reservoirs onshore and offshore.
To increase our chance of success, we always apply the latest seismic technology in our search for new oil and gas reservoirs. Saudi Aramco has developed a Geo-Knowledge online data access solution, allowing upstream data to be readily accessed, governed, visualized, tracked and analyzed.
The hunt for gas
In 2011, our raw gas production reached an all-time one-day high of 11.2 billion scfd. Construction is nearing completion on the Karan field, Saudi Arabia’s first non-associated gas field in the Arabian Gulf.
Discovered in 2006, the Karan field has been developed to help meet the Kingdom’s increasing demand for sales gas, industrial feedstock, water desalination and electric power generation.
Saudi Aramco has also begun drilling in the Hasbah and Arabiya offshore gas fields, located northeast of Dhahran.
A total of 332 million barrels of natural gas liquids (NGL) was exported from the Kingdom in 2011.
Our latest discoveries
With the addition of Wedyan-1, a wildcat oil well located in the Rub’ al-Khali, 450 kilometers southeast of Dammam, we reached 113 total oil and gas field discoveries. We also drilled our first shallow-water exploration well in the Red Sea.
Technology taking us further
Our commitment to the application of cutting-edge technology to exploration is evident in our filing of another patent application for advanced petrophysical algorithms that foster the shift from well-centric to model-centric workflows.
In 2011, we achieved a milestone in the development of the Geo-Knowledge online data access solution. It lets us simulate the dynamics of fluid flow in reservoirs thousands of meters below ground, with great accuracy.
Using technology to wisely manage Kingdom’s hydrocarbon resources will help us meet customer demand far into the future.
The Society of Exploration Geophysicists awarded Saudi Aramco scientists the 2011 Distinguished Lecturer Award and the Best Paper Award at its annual conference.
Preparing for the future
A changing world and a challenging upstream environment require new knowledge and skills to meet future energy needs. To provide the necessary training and work environment to produce the next generation of engineers and geoscientists, we continue to develop the capabilities of our Upstream Professional Development Center.