Aramco Launches Haradh Phase 3
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Author: International Oil Daily
Released 18 February 2006
February 10, 2006: Saudi Aramco has launched the third phase of the Haradh oil field project which will add 300,000 barrels per day to Aramco's production capacity.
"Oil started flowing through the new Haradh gas oil separation plant (Gosp) from several of 32 new wells that will feed the facility," Aramco said in a statement Wednesday.
The development -- which takes Saudi Arabia's production capacity to 11.3 million b/d -- will feed oil and associated gas from the Gosp through a 160 kilometer pipeline to the Abqaiq stabilization plant and Uthmaniyah gas plant. The gas plant will process 140 million cubic feet per day of gas.
"Full production will be attained by the new plant within the second quarter of 2006," the statement said. "A total of 520,000 b/d of treated seawater will be required for injection to maintain oil reservoir pressure."
This final phase of the Haradh project will add to an existing 600,000 b/d of Arab Light crude of 33° API gravity with 1.8% sulfur content, already produced from the first two phases of the field development.
"The Haradh project team has done an excellent job in raising the standard of schedule performance. I look forward to seeing the same or better achievements in the upcoming mega-projects," said Salim al-Aydh, senior vice president of engineering and operations services.
Italy's Techint was the main contractor.
Saudi Arabia has under development four more oil development projects aimed at boosting the kingdom's capacity to 12.5 million b/d by 2009: Khursaniyah (500,000 b/d), Shaybah (300,000-400,000 b/d), Nuayyim (100,000 b/d) and Khurais (1.2 million b/d).
Development of the giant, mothballed Manifa field could yield up to 1 million b/d, if Aramco decides to expand capacity beyond that target.
Asked this week about plans beyond 2009, Saudi Oil Minister Ali Naimi expressed concerns about "all the talk about not wanting our oil" -- a thinly veiled reference to US President George W. Bush's State of the Union address in which he called for a 75% reduction in Mideast oil imports.