Jafurah, the Middle East’s biggest unconventional gas field, recently began production, in a project designed to deliver up to two billion cubic feet per day (Bcfpd) of sales volume by 2030, Saudi Arabian Oil Co (Aramco) said Thursday.
Estimated to hold 229 trillion cubic feet of raw gas and 75 billion stock tank barrels of condensate, Jafurah kickstarts Aramco’s gas expansion campaign, which focuses on securing domestic supply while investing in the global liquefied natural gas market, according to the state-owned oil giant. Jafurah spans 17,000 square kilometers (6,563.73 square miles), according to Aramco.
“Gas from Jafurah is expected to support the kingdom’s broader growth ambitions across key sectors such as energy, artificial intelligence and major industries including petrochemicals, potentially providing a significant boost to the economy and solidifying Saudi Arabia’s position as one of the world’s top 10 gas producers”, Aramco said in an online statement Thursday.
Production started December, the statement disclosed. Besides shale gas, the project is designed to produce up to 420 million cfpd of ethane and 630,000 barrels per day of liquids by the end of the decade, according to Aramco.
It said Jafurah also represents a global benchmark for the development of unconventional gas plays. “Since its inception, the project has leveraged technology to help lower drilling and stimulation costs and boost well productivity, contributing to the project’s strong economic outlook”, Aramco said.
Aramco has deployed new drilling system designs and a fleet of “walking rigs” that can be moved as a unit from one well to another, as well as in-house hydraulic fracturing solutions, the company says on its website.
Multibillion-Dollar Investment
It awarded $10 worth of contracts for phase 1, which has now been started up, in 2021. In 2024 Aramco awarded $12.4 billion contracts for the second phase.
Last year Aramco executed a $11 billion lease and leaseback investment agreement for Jafurah gas processing facilities with a consortium of international investors led by BlackRock Inc’s Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP). The agreement launched Jafurah Midstream Gas Co (JMGC) with Aramco owning 51 percent and the consortium 49 percent.
JMGC was created to develop and operate a gas plant and a natural gas liquids fractionation facility for Jafurah. It will lease back the infrastructure to Aramco under the 20-year agreement.
“JMGC will collect a tariff from Aramco while granting Aramco the exclusive right to process and treat raw gas from Jafurah”, Aramco said in a press release October 28, 2025. “The agreement imposes no restrictions on Aramco’s production volumes”.
Aramco has said Jafurah’s lifecycle investment could exceed $100 billion.
Increased Gas Processing Capacity
Thursday’s announcement also said the Tanajib gas plant has been in service since December 2025. Aramco expects the plant to reach a raw gas processing capacity of 2.6 Bcfd in 2026.
“The commencement of operations at Tanajib coincided with the start of production at Aramco’s Marjan crude oil increment. The plant, which features digital integration, enhanced operational efficiency, complex project delivery and maximum resource utilization, processes associated raw gas from crude oil production at the offshore Marjan and Zuluf oil fields”, Aramco said.
Aramco has set a goal to increase its sales gas production capacity by about 80 percent by 2030 relative to 2021 levels. That involves reaching around six million oil-equivalent barrels per day of total gas and associated liquids production.
“This is expected to generate incremental operating cash flows of $12-15 billion in 2030, subject to future sales gas demand and liquids prices”, the statement said.
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