Four International Firms Interested in Working in Saudi Unconventional Gas Space

Four companies are willing to bid for work on unconventional gas in Saudi Arabia, news agency Reuters reported Friday.

Industry sources have told Reuters that the four companies are South Korea's GS Engineering and Construction, Italy's Maire Tecnimont, Japan's JGC and Canada's SNC-Lavalin.

State-run Saudi Aramco's project will involve building processing facilities, wellheads and pipelines for the gas in Turaif in the northern part of Saudi Arabia where the big mining project Waad al-Shamal is under development, the sources told the news agency.

Aramco plans to produce as much as 200 million cubic feet per day of unconventional natural gas by 2018 to supply the Waad al-Shamal project and a power plant.

Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi had estimated the country's unconventional gas reserves at over 600 trillion cubic feet, more than double its proven conventional reserves, Reuters said.

Aramco Chief Executive Khalid al-Falih has said Riyadh will spend $3 billion on shale gas development.