OPEC+ to advance oil output hike plan, oil drops 

RIYADH: Saudi Aramco has made a series of groundbreaking oil and gas discoveries in the Eastern Province and the Empty Quarter, further cementing Saudi Arabia’s position as a global energy leader.

Announced by Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman on Wednesday, the discoveries include six oil fields, two oil reservoirs, two natural gas fields, and four natural gas reservoirs—highlighting the Kingdom’s vast and growing hydrocarbon potential.

In the Eastern Province, the Jabu oil field was identified after very light Arab crude oil flowed at a rate of 800 barrels per day from well Jabu-1.

Another notable find was in the Sayahid field, where very light crude flowed from well Sayahid-2 at a rate of 630 bpd. The Ayfan field also showed promising results, with well Ayfan-2 producing 2,840 bpd of very light crude and approximately 0.44 million standard cubic feet of gas per day.

Further exploration confirmed the Jubaila reservoir in the Berri field, where light crude flowed from well Berri-907 at a rate of 520 bpd, along with 0.2 MMscf of gas daily. Additionally, the Unayzah-A reservoir in the Mazalij field yielded premium light crude from well Mazalij-64 at 1,011 bpd, coupled with 0.92 MMscf of gas per day.

In the Empty Quarter, the Nuwayr field produced medium Arabian crude at 1,800 bpd from well Nuwayr-1, along with 0.55 MMscf of gas daily. The Damdah field, tapped via well Damda-1, showed medium crude flow from the Mishrif-C reservoir at 200 bpd, and very light crude from the Mishrif-D reservoir at 115 bpd. The Qurqas field also produced medium crude at 210 bpd from well Qurqas-1.

Regarding natural gas, notable discoveries were made in the Eastern Province. Gas was found in the Unayzah B/C reservoir of the Ghizlan field, with well Ghizlan-1 yielding 32 MMscf of gas per day and 2,525 barrels of condensate. In the Araam field, well Araam-1 produced 24 MMscf of gas per day along with 3,000 barrels of condensate. Unconventional gas was also discovered in the Qusaiba reservoir of the Mihwaz field, where well Mihwaz-193101 produced 3.5 MMscf per day and 485 barrels of condensate.

In the Empty Quarter, significant natural gas flows were recorded in the Marzouq field, with 9.5 MMscf per day from the Arab-C reservoir and 10 MMscf from the Arab-D reservoir. Additionally, the Upper Jubaila reservoir yielded 1.5 MMscf of gas per day from the same well.

Prince Abdulaziz emphasized the importance of these discoveries, noting their contribution to solidifying Saudi Arabia’s leadership in the global energy sector and enhancing the Kingdom’s hydrocarbon potential.

These findings are expected to drive economic growth, strengthen Saudi Arabia’s ability to meet both domestic and international energy demand efficiently, and support the country’s long-term sustainability goals. They align with the objectives of Vision 2030, which aims to maximize the value of natural resources and ensure global energy security.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index concluded Wednesday’s trading session at 11,096.65 points, marking a decrease of 206.11 points, or 1.82 percent.

The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR6.83 billion ($1.82 billion), as 23 stocks advanced, while 225 retreated.

The MSCI Tadawul Index also declined by 23.02 points, or 1.61 percent, to close at 1,409.46.

The Kingdom’s parallel market, Nomu, reported a decrease as well, declining by 103.58 points, or 0.36 percent, to close at 28,369.89 points. This comes as 24 of the listed stocks advanced, while 57 retreated.

The index’s top performer, Raoom Trading Co., saw a 3.56 percent increase in its share price to close at SR168.80.

Other top performers included Al-Rajhi Co. for Cooperative Insurance, which saw a 2.86 percent increase to reach SR129.60, while Saudi Paper Manufacturing Co.’s share price rose by 2.74 percent to SR60.

Almoosa Health Co. also recorded a positive trajectory, with share prices rising 2.49 percent to reach SR140. Saudia Dairy and Foodstuff Co. also witnessed positive gains, with a 1.55 percent increase, reaching SR301.60.

Bank Albilad led losses on the main index, falling 6.39 percent to SR32.25, followed by Sadr Logistics Co., which dropped 6.08 percent to SR2.78. Kingdom Holding Co. also registered a notable fall of 5.87 percent, closing at SR7.86.

Other significant decliners included Sustained Infrastructure Holding Co., down 5.85 percent, and Derayah Financial Co., which lost 5.83 percent.

On the parallel market Nomu, Balady Poultry Co. was the top gainer, with its share price surging by 13.79 percent to SR330.

Other top gainers in the parallel market included Tam Development Co., which jumped 8.55 percent to SR165.00, and Balsm Alofoq Medical Co., which rose 8.19 percent to SR77.90.

Digital Research Co. and Al-Razi Medical Co. were the other top gainers on the parallel market.

Knowledge Net Co. was the biggest decliner on Nomu, with its share price falling 10.98 percent to SR30. Naas Petrol Factory Co. and Mulkia Investment Co. also posted steep losses, dropping 9.09 percent to SR60 and 8.89 percent to SR41, respectively.