Saudi Aramco finds new gas fields in four regions
- Category
Geography
- Published
9th Mar, 2022
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Context
Saudi Aramco (Saudi Arabian Oil Company) has discovered several new natural gas fields.
About
The new gas fields:
- Central region - Shadoon
- Southeastern region - Shehab and Shurfa
- Northern border with Iraq - Umm Khansar
- Eastern region – Samna
- Two of the gas fields, Samna and Umm Khansar, are “non-conventional”.
- Non-conventional deposits, also known as shale, are usually trapped in tight pore spaces, requiring special extraction techniques.
Shale gas:
- Shale gas refers to natural gas that is trapped within shale formations.
- Shales are fine-grained sedimentary rocks that can be rich resources of petroleum and natural gas.
- Sedimentary rocks are rocks formed by the accumulation of sediments at the Earth's surface and within bodies of water.
- Common sedimentary rocks include sandstone, limestone, and shale.

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Facts & Figures about Oil and gas in Saudi Arabia:
- The oil and gas sector accounts for nearly 50% of Saudi Arabia’s GDP and 70% of its export earnings (OPEC)
- About 60% of Saudi Arabia’s total gas production comes from four fields: Ghawar, Safaniya, Berri and Zuluf. Associated natural gas produced at the Ghawar Oil Field alone accounts for almost 50% of total production (EIA)
- Electricity demand increased by a compound average growth rate of 6% between 1990 and 2016 due to population growth and industrial sector development
- Iran, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are the three largest gas producers in the Middle East, accounting for 34%, 27% and 17% of the region’s output, respectively
- Iran and Saudi Arabia are expected to account for 70% of the total consumption increase in the Middle East by 2025 (IEA).