Abstract
This study provides a workflow and preliminary estimations of the estimated ultimate recovery (EUR) volumes for natural gas and condensate liquids in the Tuwaiq Mountain Formation, the principal target in the Jafurah Field development project in Saudi Arabia. The strategic need for the field development is reviewed and the field characteristics are outlined based on public data sources complemented with data from analogous reservoirs. The target zone in the Jafurah Basin is a carbonaceous shale, being developed with up to 10,000-ft-long multistage-fractured laterals with 30 ft perforation cluster spacing and an assumed typical 1250 ft well spacing. The field will come on stream in 2024, when the gas-gathering pipeline system, natural gas processing plant, and underground gas storage facilities will all be in place. The range of uncertainties in the key reservoir parameters is taken into account to estimate preliminary EUR volumes (P90, P50, and P10) for both gas and condensates. Based on the present and prior EUR estimations, it can be concluded that the Jafurah Basin comprises one of the largest unconventional field development projects outside of North America.
Highlights
The development of unconventional gas fields has become a high strategic priority for the government of Saudi Arabia
The Tuwaiq Mountain Formation (TWQ) thermal maturity varies over the region, and the Jafurah Basin is of particular interest because of its elevated vitrinite reflectance, indicating hydrocarbon maturity ranging from black oil into the condensate and dry gas windows [12]
Maturity of the wet gas/condensate window in the US is reached at greater depth than for the TWQ currently developed in the Jafurah Basin, suggesting considerable Neogene uplift may have occurred in the Jafurah Basin after the burial in its earlier subsidence
Summary
The development of unconventional gas fields has become a high strategic priority for the government of Saudi Arabia. A principal conclusion of the latter authors was that the Gulf region could benefit from increased collaboration on energy supply peak-shaving and cross-border energy transfers Until such collaboration projects materialize, costlier LNG imports from afar, rather than affordable gas pipeline imports from nearby Qatar, provide more viable solutions to close the gas supply gap. The cost of covering the future demand for natural gas in the Kingdom with LNG imports warrants concurrent efforts for the development of cheaper and geopolitically viable alternatives, such as tapping into the Kingdom’s technically recoverable shale gas resources estimated at 18 Tcm or 645 Tcf [7]. Into different categories of certainty, such as P10, P50, and P90, as well as proved (P90), probable (P50–P90) and possible (P10–P50), in accordance with the SPE-PRMS reserves and resources classification system [15,16]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
