Hasbah: unique project helps to fuel the Kingdom

Building on the enthusiasm of young Saudis, Saudi Aramco aims to lift the prospects of a new generation and the Kingdom as a whole with our massive Hasbah/Arabiyah mega-project.

By tapping the Arabian Gulf’s supply of a cleaner-burning fuel and utilizing the company’s remarkable network and facilities, the endeavor will help replace liquid-based fuels as a source for power generation with feedstocks of nonassociated gas, allowing more crude oil to be sold and exported. The project provides a significant boost locally, adding jobs for Saudis and helping to elevate the skills of a new generation of employees, thereby raising the prospects of the company and Kingdom toward a brighter future.

Young Saudis have been a key component in the success of the project. Confidently and enthusiastically carrying out their tasks and assignments, young employees have helped set the pace at this important mega-project.

Discovered in 2008, the Hasbah and Arabiyah fields promise great prosperity for the Kingdom, as they will help Saudi Aramco produce large quantities of nonassociated gas — as much as 2.5 billion standard cubic feet per day (Bscfd) — that will be processed at the Wasit Gas Plant and then used to help power the Kingdom’s economic diversification and power needs.  

Young Saudis at the ready to serve company and Kingdom

The company’s ability to produce nonassociated gas is critical to the Kingdom’s goal to use the gas for domestic power generation. To meet this challenge, Saudi Aramco plans to nearly double our gas supplies over the next 10 years to reach more than 20 Bscfd. This will increase the share of gas — the least environmental polluting fuel — in the utility fuel mix to more than 70%, a percentage among the highest in the world.

These efforts also support domestic industry, which in turn, supports the local economy, said AbdulRahman M. Al-Qahtani, manager of the Northern Area Gas Producing Department (NAGPD). “By developing this project, we were able to provide job opportunities for Saudis,” Al-Qahtani said.

He noted that the unique design of the project provided significant challenges but the company worked to prepare and train the Saudi workforce for these new challenges. “In preparing our human resources, we had to develop training methods that met the unique design of the Hasbah/Arabiyah fields,” he said.

This started with the hiring of a number of young Saudis specifically for the project. These employees worked with engineers and helped in the preparation of the project’s initial and detailed designs.

In addition to building a qualified and skilled Saudi workforce, the participation of companies experienced in high-pressure production fields was instrumental in the operation of the Hasbah field. By bringing these companies into the project, the young Saudi employees were able learn from their expertise how to tackle challenges unique to these fields. 

Hasbah: a team effort

In the deep waters of the Arabian Gulf, the strong, steady hands of Saudi Aramco’s young employees and a few experienced veterans defy complex conditions to achieve unparalleled feats of engineering. We meet just a few of those people who have worked diligently to bring the Hasbah/Arabiyah project to life: