The project is one of only three, including North Field in Qatar and Yamal LNG in Russia, to have undertaken more than one development phase simultaneously

The Jafurah Gas Field Development, the first phase of which began construction in the last quarter of 2022 and the second phase by the end of 2024, is considered of critical importance to Saudi Arabia to meet its growing domestic demand and the liquefied natural gas (LNG) export targets set by the Kingdom’s Ministry of Energy.

It is unusual for a project of the magnitude of the Jafurah Gas Field Development to have several construction phases taking place simultaneously.

Only projects such as North Field in Qatar or Yamal LNG in Russia share this simultaneous construction in recent history.

Despite that Saudi Aramco and the Ministry of Energy promoted a progressive schedule to optimise the necessary investments and infrastructure required for the simultaneous construction of both phases.

They took into account that the first phase will be oriented towards the development of unconventional gas resources, while the second phase will have as its main objective the expansion and development of large-scale production.

The development of the two phases of the Jafurah Gas Field will result in a significant increase in Saudi Arabia’s gas production from approximately 14 billion cubic feet (bcfd) in 2025 to more than 18 bcfd when the full infrastructure comes online in 2027, according to Saudi Aramco and the Saudi Ministry of Energy.

The Jafurah Gas Field Development project is considered of vital importance to Saudi Arabia, with the aim of meeting its domestic gas demand, while at the same time meeting the LNG export targets set by the Ministry of Energy.

Amin Nasser, President and CEO of Saudi Aramco, said the project will contribute $23 billion annually to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Phase 1 of Jafurah is expected to produce more than 2.5 bcfd on start-up, rising to 5 bcfd by the end of the decade, coinciding with the start-up of the second phase.

In total, Jafurah is expected to generate more than 10 bcfd by 2030, helping Saudi Arabia consolidate its position as a world leader in natural gas, especially unconventional gas.

In addition, production from Jafurah will bring Saudi Arabia closer to its goal of reducing its dependence on oil for power generation and meeting the growing demand from intensive industries such as petrochemicals.

In doing so, the Kingdom seeks to support its energy transition goals by contributing to the reduction of CO2 emissions in the supply chain.