RIYADH, 28 November 2006 — Saudi Arabia has discovered a gas field in the south of the Kingdom that yielded 30 million cubic feet per day, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ali Al-Naimi said yesterday.
“Saudi Aramco has discovered a new gas field south of Ghawar field ... On Nov. 15 gas from the Najimaan-1 well flowed at a rate of 30 million cubic feet daily,” the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted Naimi as saying. The well is 30 km (18.64 miles) south of Ghawar and has an estimated production capacity that may exceed 60 million cubic feet daily, SPA said.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, has gas reserves of 242 trillion cubic feet, according to oil officials, making it the world’s fifth largest holder of proven gas reserves. It faces increasing demand for natural gas from its rapidly growing population and new petrochemical and industrial projects.
The Kingdom plans to expand its gas exploration program to add 50 trillion cubic feet of non-associated gas reserves by 2016.