Saudi Aramco said to expand gas network capacity by 2017-end

Saudi Aramco plans to expand its main network for natural gas by the end of this year to meet rising demand, Aleqtisadiah newspaper reported.

The first phase of the project, which aims to support the industrial and utility sector, will increase capacity of the gas network to 9.6 billion standard cubic feet per day by the end of the year.

The second phase will boost the network’s capacity to 12.5 billion standard cubic feet per day in 2020.

Aramco had accelerated the first phase to meet the scheduled date of operations at Rabigh 2 power plant so it can avoid burning liquid fuel.

The project is part of the Kingdom’s economy transformation program, which is aiming to rely on gas instead of oil for generating electricity, Aleqtisadiah reported citing Project Manager Saleh Al Wadie.