Old facility, new lease of life in Saudi Arabia
Global media attention on Saudi Aramco's bond sale and acquisition of Sabic obscures progress on routine ventures
Ras Tanura refinery on the Gulf coast is rooted in the history of Saudi Aramco. It began operations in 1945, just seven years after the first commercial discovery of oil in the kingdom-at the Dammam 7 well. In those days, the refining capacity was 60,000 bl/d. Today, processing crude oil from the Abqaiq, Safaniya and Manifa oil fields, it stands at 550,000 bl/d, and work is under way to upgrade facilities to ensure that Aramco continues to get value from the plant for many years to come. Driving through the 5 km² (1.9 mile²) maze of silver towers and chimneys that make up the refining complex you come suddenly across a construction site and the frame of a large rectangular-fronted building
Also in this section
23 May 2025
LNG projects need the certainty of long-term contracts, but Henry-Hub–linked deals put buyers at significant risk
22 May 2025
Industry says compliance is near-impossible and have called for more clarity to prevent cargoes being redirected
22 May 2025
The next energy crisis could come from the severing of the link between oil and gas prices, with potentially severe economic consequences
22 May 2025
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
