Saudi Aramco remotely shuts down over 300 wells in Khurais on attack day, says official

Saudi Aramco had shut down over 300 oil wells remotely on the morning of the attacks on Khurais oil field, using the central Intelligent Field facility, production manager Mohammed Sowayigh said. 

The Intelligent Field remotely controls and operates oil wells spread across a large geographical area, Sowayigh said, noting that on the morning of the attacks, this feature was skillfully implemented by supervisory control system operators.

“The five oil units in Khurais operate independently, which provides flexibility with regards to restoring and resuming production,” he said.

“The facility’s advanced design, as well as investing in sustainability, played a key role in maintaining production within 24 hours from the attacks,” Sowayigh added