SAUDI ARAMCO’S vice president for northern area oil operations reiterated his company’s commitment to advance artificial lift technologies with funding, facilities and experts.

Delivering a keynote address at a recent workshop organised jointly by Saudi Aramco and the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) in Al Khobar, Khaled Al Buraik spoke about energy’s ever-increasing importance to future global development, the limitations of new energy sources, and the growing role of technology in the global development quest.

He addressed the issue of energy source alternatives such as nuclear, solar and biofuel, and the challenges and safety aspects that go along with each source; stating that hydrocarbon resources continue to remain as the most reliable source.

Responding to concerns about the ever-increasing global demand for energy, Al Buraik says: “The estimate of global unconventional gas in place is approximately 35,000 trillion cubic feet, compared to only 6,400 trillion cubic feet of currently proven conventional gas.”

While highlighting the role of artificial lift technologies, Al Buraik says that while they have been used for 100 years, the techniques have remained the same, and advancing them requires collaborative efforts between stakeholders.

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