Saudi Arabia to boost pipeline crude export capacity to 10m bpd

Saudi Arabia aims to increase its pipeline crude export capacity to 10 million barrels per day, according to Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman. The expansion will involve repurposing a domestic gas pipeline and enhancing the existing East-West network, the minister announced during the World Petroleum Congress in Riyadh.

The kingdom could boost oil export capacity by up to 1.2 million barrels per day within a span of seven to eight weeks by temporarily converting a gas pipeline for crude shipments, the minister revealed. Prince Abdulaziz stated that Saudi Aramco could utilize the pipeline for oil transport until May, after which it would require cleaning and be returned to gas service prior to the summer season.

Infrastructure projects, including upgrades to pumping stations on Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline and other enhancements, could further lift the kingdom's capacity to divert shipments from its primary maritime Gulf and Red Sea routes to approximately 10 million barrels per day over the next two to three years, as per the minister.