Saudi Arabia Announces 4 Oil and Gas Discoveries

Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Announces 4 Oil and Gas Discoveries

Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. (SPA)

Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz announced that Saudi Aramco has discovered four new oil and gas fields in the Kingdom.

He said that non-conventional oil has been discovered in al-Reesh oil field, northwest of Dhahran. Al-Reesh Well No. 2 boasts 4,452 barrels per day of Arab extra light crude oil, along with 3.2 million standard cubic feet of natural gas, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Sunday.

To determine the field’s size, Aramco has drilled al-Reesh Well No. 3 and Well No. 4. Well No. 3’s initial production has reached 2,745 barrels per day of the same oil type, along with 3 million standard cubic feet of gas per day. Well No. 4’s daily flow of Arab Extra Light crude oil amounts to 3,654 barrels per day, along with a daily 1.6 million standard cubic feet of natural gas.

Non-conventional gas has also been discovered in al-Sarrah reservoir at al-Minahhaz well, southwest of the Ghawar oil field, and at al-Sahbaa well, south of Ghawar. Gas from al-Minahhaz well amounts to 18 million standard cubic feet daily, along with a daily 98 barrels of condensate, and al-Sahbaa well boasts a daily rate of 32 million standard cubic feet.

Oil has also been discovered in al-Ajramiyah Well No. 1, which lies to the northwest of the city of Rafhaa in the Northern Borders Province. The well test shows a rate of 3,850 barrels of oil per day.

Prince Abdulaziz said the discovery at al-Reesh field is especially important as it shows that it is possible to produce Arab extra light crude oil at the Tuwaiq Mountain Formation.

He also said that Saudi Aramco continues to work on determining the size and volume of discovered fields and estimating the amount of oil, gas and condensate in these fields.

He added that the discoveries underline the wealth of natural resources the Kingdom has at its disposal.



Iran's Rial Hits a Record Low, Battered by Regional Tensions and Energy Crisis

An Iranian trader counts money in Tehran's Grand Bazaar. (Reuters)
An Iranian trader counts money in Tehran's Grand Bazaar. (Reuters)
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Iran's Rial Hits a Record Low, Battered by Regional Tensions and Energy Crisis

An Iranian trader counts money in Tehran's Grand Bazaar. (Reuters)
An Iranian trader counts money in Tehran's Grand Bazaar. (Reuters)

The Iranian rial on Wednesday fell to its lowest level in history, losing more than 10% of value since Donald Trump won the US presidential election in November and signaling new challenges for Tehran as it remains locked in the wars raging in the Middle East.

The rial traded at 777,000 rials to the dollar, traders in Tehran said, down from 703,000 rials on the day Trump won.

Iran’s Central Bank has in the past flooded the market with more hard currencies in an attempt to improve the rate.

In an interview with state television Tuesday night, Central Bank Gov. Mohammad Reza Farzin said that the supply of foreign currency would increase and the exchange rate would be stabilized. He said that $220 million had been injected into the currency market, The AP reported.

The currency plunged as Iran ordered the closure of schools, universities, and government offices on Wednesday due to a worsening energy crisis exacerbated by harsh winter conditions. The crisis follows a summer of blackouts and is now compounded by severe cold, snow and air pollution.

Despite Iran’s vast natural gas and oil reserves, years of underinvestment and sanctions have left the energy sector ill-prepared for seasonal surges, leading to rolling blackouts and gas shortages.

In 2015, during Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers, the rial was at 32,000 to $1. On July 30, the day that Iran’s reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in and began his term, the rate was 584,000 to $1.

Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord in 2018, sparking years of tensions between the countries that persist today.

Iran’s economy has struggled for years under crippling international sanctions over its rapidly advancing nuclear program, which now enriches uranium at near weapons-grade levels.

Pezeshkian, elected after a helicopter crash killed hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi in May, came to power on a promise to reach a deal to ease Western sanctions.

Tensions still remain high between the nations, 45 years after the 1979 US Embassy takeover and the 444-day hostage crisis that followed. Before the revolution, the rial traded at 70 for $1.