Saudi state oil giant Aramco has started crude production from its major Zuluf offshore expansion project, bringing a development designed to process up to 600,000 barrels per day closer to full operations.
Located in the Arabian Gulf, Zuluf is one of Aramco’s largest offshore oilfields. The expansion forms part of its programme to maintain the kingdom’s maximum sustainable oil production capacity at 12m barrels per day. The company confirmed the production start in its third-quarter results.
The company did not disclose Zuluf’s initial production rate or specify when the development is expected to reach its full planned processing capacity.
The development involves new offshore production infrastructure and associated onshore processing facilities, including a substantial expansion of water treatment and injection capacity to support reservoir pressure.
In July, Webuild subsidiary Fisia Italimpianti announced the start of operations at the first phase of a new water treatment facility serving Zuluf. The facility is designed to process up to 185,000 cu m of water per day for injection into offshore wells.
A further expansion, awarded to a consortium involving Almar Water Solutions and Al Jomaih Energy & Water, is intended to add another 308,000 cu m per day of treatment capacity under a project valued at approximately $940m.
The first production announcement comes as Aramco continues to implement major upstream developments despite disruptions affecting Middle East energy infrastructure.
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