Saudi Arabia and Kuwait home in on disputed Dorra field

With contract awards looming on the Kuwait-Saudi backed Dorra field, the long-stalled gas project appears finally to be gaining traction—despite Iranian objections

Failure to progress the Dorra gas project in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait’s shared Neutral Zone since its mid-1960s discovery is generally attributed to Iran’s blocking role. The project, being developed by Al-Khafji Joint Operations (KJO)—a joint subsidiary of state companies Saudi Aramco and Kuwait Petroleum Corporation— aims to produce 1bcf/d of gas and 84,000b/d of condensate. The field holds an estimated 20tcf of gas and 310m bl of oil. Previous efforts by the two Mideast Gulf states to fire up activity at Dorra foundered on objections from Iran, which said that part of the field it calls Arash extends into its maritime territory—thereby endowing it with a stake in the project. Everyon