Aramco Awards $18bn in Contracts to Boost Marjan, Berri Oilfields’ Production

File photo of Saudi Aramco's Ras Tanura oil refinery and oil terminal in Saudi Arabia May 21, 2018. (Reuters/File Photo)
File photo of Saudi Aramco's Ras Tanura oil refinery and oil terminal in Saudi Arabia May 21, 2018. (Reuters/File Photo)
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Aramco Awards $18bn in Contracts to Boost Marjan, Berri Oilfields’ Production

File photo of Saudi Aramco's Ras Tanura oil refinery and oil terminal in Saudi Arabia May 21, 2018. (Reuters/File Photo)
File photo of Saudi Aramco's Ras Tanura oil refinery and oil terminal in Saudi Arabia May 21, 2018. (Reuters/File Photo)

Saudi Aramco announced on Tuesday that it has awarded 34 contracts with a total value of $18 billion for the engineering, procurement and construction of the Marjan and Berri increment programs.

The company revealed its plans to increase the Marjan and Berri fields’ production capacity by 550,000 barrels per day of Arabian Crude Oil and 2.5 billion standard cubic feet a day (BSCFD) of gas.

“These two programs will significantly enhance Saudi Aramco’s oil production and gas processing capabilities, both strengthening our position as the leading integrated energy supplier and meeting growing long-term demand for petroleum,” said Amin H. Nasser, president and CEO of Saudi Aramco.

“These investments will support our continued focus on employing best-in-class technologies, well completion, and reservoir management practices. It will enable Saudi Aramco to further reduce the carbon intensity of our crude oils, supporting our strategy of reducing emissions while providing energy to those who need it,” he added.

Saudi companies make up 50 percent of the awarded contracts and they are high- caliber firms that have proven their ability to handle complex projects.

Contractors working on these projects are required to maximize the procurement of material and equipment from local suppliers and manufacturers to help achieve

According to the company, the projects are expected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs, supporting Saudi Aramco's efforts to localize and create new job opportunities.

The Marjan increment program is an integrated development project for oil, associated gas, non-associated gas and cap gas from the Marjan offshore field.

Meanwhile, through the Berri increment program, the company plans to add 250,000 barrels of Arabian Light Crude per day from the offshore oilfield.



SAMA’s Reserve Assets Rise to $467.7 Billion

The headquarters of SAMA (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The headquarters of SAMA (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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SAMA’s Reserve Assets Rise to $467.7 Billion

The headquarters of SAMA (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The headquarters of SAMA (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) reported an annual growth rate of 5.5 percent in its reserve assets, with an increase of approximately SAR 92.049 billion ($24.5 billion).
The growth brought the total reserve assets to SAR 1.754 trillion ($467.7 billion) by the end of the second quarter of the current year, compared to SAR 1.662 trillion ($443.2 billion) during the same period last year.
According to the Saudi Central Bank’s latest monthly statistical bulletin, reserve assets reached their highest levels at the end of June. On a quarterly basis, reserve assets grew by 2.7 percent, an increase of approximately SAR 46.724 billion, compared to the first quarter, which stood at SAR 1.707 trillion. On a monthly basis, the reserve assets grew by 0.1 percent, with an increase of about SAR 1.146 billion.
Reserve assets have seen a 6.6 percent increase from the beginning of the year until the end of June.
Reserve assets are composed of five main components. The largest of these is "Investments in Securities Abroad," which constitutes approximately 58 percent of the total, amounting to around SAR 1.016 trillion at the end of the second quarter of 2024.
The second largest component is "Foreign Exchange and Deposits Abroad," which represents about 37 percent of the total, amounting to approximately SAR 646.3 billion.
The third component, "Special Drawing Rights," accounts for around 4 percent of the total, amounting to SAR 77.2 billion.
The fourth item is the "Reserve Position with the International Monetary Fund," which totals SAR 13.3 billion.
Finally, "Monetary Gold" makes up the fifth component, with a value of approximately SAR 1.624 billion.