Dorra Field Development and Contracting

At least two contracting consortia are set to compete for key engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) packages related to the Dorra offshore gas field. The field is located in the neutral zone shared by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and is being developed by a joint venture of subsidiaries from Aramco and Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC). The development is projected to yield 1 billion cubic feet per day of gas and 84,000 barrels per day of condensate. The competing groups are a consortium of Spain’s Tecnicas Reunidas and China’s Sinopec, and a grouping of India’s Larsen & Toubro and South Korea’s Samsung E&A.

Khafji Gas Plant and EPC Packages

The Aramco subsidiary, Aramco Gulf Operations (AGO), initiated the bid process for the Khafji gas plants, which are intended to process Saudi Arabia's share of the gas from the Dorra field. The two EPC packages on offer are for this plant, which is planned to have a processing capacity of about 700 million cubic feet per day. The bid submission, initially expected in October, has been delayed and is now anticipated by the end of December.

Separate Gas Handling Facilities

While AGO is building gas handling facilities in Saudi Arabia, its joint venture partner, Kuwait Gulf Oil Company (KGOC), is also progressing with developing a separate gas handling terminal in Kuwait, though this project is still in an early phase. In addition to these national facilities, the joint venture is advancing a separate onshore package for the Dorra development that includes a monoethylene glycol (MEG) recovery plant, water treatment facilities, and other related infrastructure.

Project Scale and Additional Contracts

The overall Dorra development involves multiple offshore packages in addition to the onshore packages. Combined, the onshore and offshore packages are estimated to be worth upwards of $10 billion. The joint venture had previously selected Technip Energies to carry out pre-front-end engineering and design (pre-FEED) and FEED studies for the project.

Regional Dispute with Iran

The development of the field is controversial because Iran disputes the Saudi-Kuwaiti claim to the field, which it refers to as Arash. A top Iranian official from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated in 2024 that Iran would not retreat from its national interests in the Arash field. He cited evidence that Kuwait had created a company to utilize the field and had initiated a bid process. Despite this resistance from Iran, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are continuing to progress with the Dorra development.