Saudi Aramco has announced startup of production from its Jafurah development, a $100-billion capital project the company describes as the “jewel” of its unconventional gas portfolio and the Middle East’s largest unconventional gas field.
The national oil company (NOC) also confirmed that the Tanajib Gas Plant has begun operations, calling it one of the world’s largest gas processing facilities of its type.
The 26 February announcement marks a key milestone in Aramco’s plan to increase sales gas production capacity by approximately 80% by 2030 compared with 2021 levels.
“Jafurah and Tanajib significantly strengthen Aramco’s gas portfolio and expand our capacity at scale. These projects are a major step forward for our company and for the Kingdom’s energy future,” Amin Nasser, Aramco president and CEO, said in a statement.
He added, “Gas is central to our long-term growth strategy. It is expected to generate substantial earnings, meet rising domestic demand, support development across key sectors, and deliver significant volumes of high-value liquids.”
Saudi officials previously confirmed that gas began flowing into the 450 MMcf/D-capacity Jafurah plant in December.
Covering approximately 17,000 km², the Jafurah Basin is estimated to contain 229 Tcf of raw gas and 75 billion STB of condensate. By 2030, the development is expected to deliver 2 Bcf/D of sales gas, 420 MMscf/D of ethane, and approximately 630,000 B/D of natural gas liquids.
The Jafurah Basin lies south of Aramco’s administrative headquarters in Dhahran and east of the supergiant Ghawar oil field. The unconventional development targets the tight, carbonate-dominated Tuwaiq Mountain formation, which also serves as the primary source rock for Ghawar.
The Saudi NOC is aiming to produce approximately 6 million BOE/D of gas and associated liquids production and estimates incremental cash flows from Jafurah of $12 billion to $15 billion in 2030. The company believes Jafurah is key to achieving its stated goal of ranking among the world’s top 10 gas producers.
Aramco said it has applied advanced drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies to reduce well costs and improve productivity.
The project was also highlighted at the recent SPE International Hydraulic Fracturing Conference in Oman, where National Energy Services Reunited (NESR) said it is working with Aramco to pilot produced-water recycling at Jafurah. According to NESR, one initiative aims to treat and desalinate produced water while recovering trace minerals, including lithium and bromine, which could be marketed to help offset treatment costs.
In addition to displacing up to 500,000 B/D of crude oil used for domestic power generation, Aramco expects Jafurah gas to support Saudi Arabia’s expanding artificial intelligence infrastructure and heavy industries, including petrochemicals.
The Tanajib Gas Plant initiated operations in December 2025 and is expected to reach a raw gas processing capacity of 2.6 Bcf/D later this year.
Aramco also announced startup of the Marjan gas plant, which is processing associated raw gas from crude oil production from the offshore Marjan and Zuluf fields.