Saudi-Korean Partnership to Finance Jafurah Gas Field

Saudi and Korean officials during the signing ceremony of the agreement between Riyad Bank and Export-Import Bank of Korea (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi and Korean officials during the signing ceremony of the agreement between Riyad Bank and Export-Import Bank of Korea (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi-Korean Partnership to Finance Jafurah Gas Field

Saudi and Korean officials during the signing ceremony of the agreement between Riyad Bank and Export-Import Bank of Korea (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi and Korean officials during the signing ceremony of the agreement between Riyad Bank and Export-Import Bank of Korea (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia’s Riyad Bank signed a project financing agreement with the Export-Import Bank of Korea to develop the power station project in the al-Jafurah gas field.

In 2020, Saudi Aramco that it had obtained approval to develop the Jafurah unconventional gas field in the Eastern Province, the largest non-associated gas field in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to date.

The development of Jafurah is expected to enhance Aramco’s position in the global energy sector and help achieve its goal of being the world’s pre-eminent integrated energy and chemicals company.

Jafurah is the largest unconventional non-associated gas field in the Kingdom, with a length of 170 km and a width of 100 km.

The volume of gas resources in the field is estimated at 200 trillion cubic feet of rich raw gas, providing a valuable feedstock for the petrochemical industries.

The field will be able to produce about 425 million standard cubic feet of ethane per day, representing about 40 percent of the current production, and will have about 550,000 barrels per day of gas liquids and condensate needed for the petrochemical industries.



Bitcoin Soars Past $109,000 Ahead of Possible Early Action on Crypto by Trump

FILE PHOTO: Sparks strike representation of cryptocurrency Bitcoin in this illustration taken November 24, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Sparks strike representation of cryptocurrency Bitcoin in this illustration taken November 24, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
TT

Bitcoin Soars Past $109,000 Ahead of Possible Early Action on Crypto by Trump

FILE PHOTO: Sparks strike representation of cryptocurrency Bitcoin in this illustration taken November 24, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Sparks strike representation of cryptocurrency Bitcoin in this illustration taken November 24, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

The price of bitcoin surged to over $109,000 early Monday, just hours ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, as a pumped up cryptocurrency industry bets he'll take action soon after returning to the White House.
Once a skeptic who said a few years ago that bitcoin “seems like a scam,” Trump has embraced digital currencies with a convert’s zeal. He's launched a new cryptocurrency venture and vowed on the campaign trail to take steps early in his presidency to make the US into the “crypto capital” of the world.
His promises including creating a US crypto stockpile, enacting industry-friendly regulation and event appointing a crypto “czar” for his administration.
“You’re going to be very happy with me,” Trump told crypto-enthusiasts at a bitcoin conference last summer.
Bitcoin is the world’s most popular cryptocurrency and was created in 2009 as a kind of electronic cash uncontrolled by banks or governments. It and newer forms of cryptocurrencies have moved from the financial fringes to the mainstream in wild fits and starts.
The highly volatile nature of cryptocurrencies as well as their use by criminals, scammers and rogue nations, has attracted plenty of critics, who say the digital currencies have limited utility and often are just Ponzi schemes, The Associated Press reported.
But crypto has so far defied naysayers and survived multiple prolonged price drops in its short lifespan. Wealthy players in the crypto industry, which felt unfairly targeted by the Biden administration, spent heavily to help Trump win last November’s election. Bitcoin has surged in price since Trump's victory, topping $100,000 for the first time last month before briefly sliding down to about $90,000. On Friday, it rose about 5%. It jumped more than $9,000 early Monday, according to CoinDesk.
Two years ago, bitcoin was trading at about $20,000.
Trump’s picks for key cabinet and regulatory positions are stocked with crypto supporters, including his choice to lead the Treasury and Commerce departments and the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Key industry players held a first ever "Crypto Ball” on Friday to celebrate the first “crypto president." The event was sold out, with tickets costing several thousand dollars.