- 클라우드 컴퓨팅은 기업이 언제든지 유연하게 데이터에 접근할 수 있도록 하며 4차 산업혁명 (4IR) 기술을 지원
- 아람코가 코그나이트와 제휴하여 설립한 새로운 합작 투자회사 CNTXT는 사우디아라비아의 급증하는 클라우드 서비스 수요를 맞추기 위해 구글 클라우드 서비스를 제공할 예정
- 이 협력은 사우디아라비아의 디지털 생태계를 확장하고, 새로운 일자리와 기술을 창출하며, 민간 및 공공 부문의 디지털 전환을 가속화할 전망
1200 Smith Street
Houston, TX 77002
Aramco Americas
P.O. Box 4534
Houston, TX 77002
43/F, 45/F20-26, China World Tower 3,
No.1 Jianguomenwai Avenue,
Chaoyang District,
Beijing, China 100004
Room 16T60, 16/F – SWFC, 100 Century Avenue,
Pudong District,
Shanghai 200120, China
15F, Paragon Center, No.1 Lianyue Road,
Siming District,
Xiamen 361012, Fujian, China
2A-0801, 8th Floor, Two Horizon Center, DLF 5,
Sector 43, Gurugram 122002,
Haryana, India
Level 32, Maxis Tower
Kuala Lumpur City Center
50088 Kuala Lumpur
We commenced construction of our Fadhili Gas Plant, located 30 km west of Jubail Industrial City, in late 2016. The facility is emblematic of our broader impact on not only increasing supplies of gas, but also driving economic growth, developing the Saudi workforce, and reducing emissions.
Designed to process up to 2.5 billion scfd of raw gas, Fadhili will be our first plant to treat nonassociated gas from both onshore and offshore fields, with start up planned in 2019.
The plant was designed from inception to use the Tail Gas Treatment process to reach the maximum sulfur recovery rate of 99.9%, helping protect air quality.
The project’s value extends well beyond the resources it will process: the development of Fadhili will add billions of dollars to the local economy, with an expectation that 40% of the plant’s materials and services to be sourced and manufactured in Saudi Arabia.
When completed, Fadhili Gas Plant will become a key component of the Kingdom’s Master Gas System.
We are expanding the gas processing capacity of our Hawiyah gas plant by more than 1 billion scfd. The new gas processing facilities, expected to be on stream in 2021, are anticipated to raise total production capacity of the plant to approximately 3.6 billion scfd, making it one of the largest gas processing facilities in the world.
We are making improvements to sustain gas production from both the Haradh and Hawiyah fields for the next 20 years and boost production by an average of 1.2 scfd. The program includes installing gas compression facilities, liquid separation stations, and transmission lines to our Haradh and Hawiyah gas plants, along with expanding the existing gas gathering pipeline network.
Karan, was our first non-associated offshore gas field development. Discovered in 2006 in the thickest, extremely prolific and complex carbonate layers, the project was fast-tracked, taking only six years to go from discovery to production.
Non-associated gas fields do not have an associated oil column and, therefore, can be accessed without producing oil. The raw gas is transported through a 110-kilometer subsea pipeline to the Khursaniyah Gas Plant for processing.
The natural gas liquids (NGL) recovery plant at Shaybah was commissioned and began production in late 2015, with a second processing train starting up in 2016. The plant will help us meet increasing demand for petrochemical feedstock by recovering valuable NGL from produced gas.
Designed to process as much as 2.4 billion scfd of associated gas and recover 275,000 bpd of ethane plus NGL, the Shaybah facility will feed these new volumes of NGL via pipeline to Ju’aymah for further processing before being delivered as petrochemical feedstock to industrial cities.
Wasit, one of the largest gas plants we have ever built, was brought onstream in October 2015 and reached full operating capacity in mid-2016. Unlike our other gas plants, Wasit is designed to process solely nonassociated gas.
To feed Wasit, we brought gas production onstream from the big bore nonassociated gas wells in our offshore Arabiyah and Hasbah fields, situated approximately 150 km northeast of Jubail Industrial City in the Arabian Gulf. With the startup of production from these two fields, more than 40% of our nonassociated gas now comes from offshore fields.
Our continued success in increasing supplies of cleaner burning natural gas makes it possible for us to reduce emissions, enable new industries and release more crude oil for value-added refining or export.
As the company's largest oil processing facility and the largest crude oil stabilization plant in the world, Abqaiq plays a pivotal role in our day-to-day operations.
Abqaiq oil facilities receive sour crude oil from gas-oil separation plants (GOSPs), process it into sweet crude oil, and then transport it to Ras Tanura and Jubail on the east coast, Yanbu' on the west coast and to Bapco Refinery in Bahrain. The off gases from the spheroids and stabilizer columns that are part of the conversion process are then sent to Abqaiq natural gas liquids (NGL) facilities for further processing.
Abqaiq is the main oil processing center for Arabian Extra Light and Arabian Light crude oils.
The northern-most portion of the Ghawar field lies approximately 100 kilometers west of Dhahran. The field comprises six main areas (Fazran, Ain Dar, Shedgum, Uthaminyah, Hawiyah and Haradh) and extends southward over more than 200 kilometers as one long continuous anticline. It is approximately 36 kilometers across at its widest point.
We believe that the Ghawar field is the largest oil field in the world in terms of conventional proved reserves, totaling 58.32 billion barrels of oil equivalent as at 31 December 2018. It has accounted for more than half of the total cumulative crude oil production in the Kingdom.
The Ghawar field facilities and infrastructure remain a central component in our long-term strategic framework for optimizing both technical recovery of resources and the economic of resource management.
The Haradh area, located at the southern tip of the Ghawar oil field, was developed in three increments of 300,000 bpd of Arabian Light crude oil capacity.
Haradh III was also the first plant in the Southern Area of company operations to have completely automated well control and monitoring, allowing remote operations. The project benefited from successful integration of four technologies: multilateral, maximum reservoir contact (MRC) wells; Smart Well completions (using control valves for preventing premature water breakthrough); geosteering (for optimal placement of wells in the reservoir for maximum recovery); and the “intelligent field” concept, in which real-time sub-surface data transmissions enable continual monitoring of key reservoir indicators. The integrated use of these four technologies slashed unit well development costs three-fold.
The Khurais complex, which comprises of the Abu Jifan and Mazalij fields in addition to Khurais itself, is approximately 106 kilometers long and 18 kilometers across at its widest point.
As of 31 December 2018, proved reserves at Khurais were 21.40 billion barrels of oil equivalent, including 20.10 billion barrels of liquid reserves.
The Khursaniyah program includes facilities to process and stabilize 500,000 bpd of Arabian Light crude oil blend from the Abu Hadriya, Fadhili and Khursaniyah fields, and a grassroots gas plant to process one billion scfd of associated gas.
Khursaniyah began producing oil in August 2008. The facility also has the capacity to inject 1.1 million bpd of non-potable water for reservoir pressure maintenance.
The UNESCO environmental responsibility award nominated Manifa crude oil development was designed to produce 900,000 bpd of Arabian Heavy crude oil, 90 million scfd of sour gas, and 65,000 bpd of hydrocarbon condensate.
By employing best-in-class technologies in infrastructure, drilling and production activities, the project consumed more than 80 million man hours without a lost time injury.
Prior to construction, extensive engineering and ecological assessments were conducted to ensure that the marine ecosystem would not be adversely affected by developing the field. As a direct result of these studies, Saudi Aramco constructed three kilometers of bridges to span the migration paths of various marine species, maintaining natural water flow and preserving natural marine nurseries.
Nuayyim crude oil increment added 100,000 bpd of Arabian Super Light crude oil and 90 million scfd of associated gas to our production capacity.
The project – the first in-Kingdom project of this scale with a project proposal completed entirely in Saudi Arabia – also included a gas-oil separation plant, 140 kilometers of 16” gas pipeline, and water supply facilities at Hawtah. Smokeless flaring has been used to significantly reduce emissions.
The field, which entered production in August 2009, is 250 kilometers south of Riyadh and about 50 kilometers northeast of our Hawtah crude oil facility, the first producing facility in the Central Region of Saudi Arabia.
Qatif Producing Plants Program consists of facilities to produce, process, and transport 500,000 bpd of blended Arabian Light crude oil from the Qatif field and 300,000 bpd of Arabian Medium crude oil from the offshore Abu Sa'fah field.
The Qatif facility was the first to produce Arabian Light crude oil by blending Arabian Extra Light, Light and Medium grades.
We believe that Safaniyah field is the world's largest conventional offshore oil field in terms of roved reserves. It is located approximately 260 kilometers north of Dhahran. Most of the field lies offshore in the Arabian Gulf. Within the Concession area, the Safaniyah field is approximately 50 kilometers long and 15 kilometers wide.
As of December 2018, the proved reserves were 34.03 billion barrels of oil equivalent.
The Shaybah field, located in the Rub’ al-Khali or Empty Quarter, was discovered in 1968. Its remote location, local summer temperatures in excess of 50 degrees Celsius and sand dunes higher than 300 meters presented serious challenges. So for technical and economic reasons, development was held off until 20 years later. However, by the 1990s, advances in 3D seismic imaging technology, horizontal drilling and other technologies gave us the tools we needed to begin production.
The field is approximately 13 kilometers wide and 64 kilometers long. Due to the field's remoteness, its facilities include a dedicated NGL recovery unit, an airfield and accommodation for staff.
Our second 250,000 bpd expansion project at Shaybah came on-stream in 2016, raising its overall production capacity to 1 million bpd of Arabian Extra Light crude oil — double the facility’s original capacity. As of December 2018, proved reserves were 14.86 billion barrels of oil equivalent.
The Zuluf field is located in the Arabian Gulf, approximately 240 kilometers north of Dhahran, in average water depth of 118 feet. The field has two main structures, Zuluf and Ribyan, and is of similar area to Safaniyah to the north.
As of December 2018, Zuluf had proved reserves of 31.31 billion barrels of oil equivalent.
Aramco operates one of the world’s largest refining businesses, and its integrated petrochemical refinery complex at Jazan City for Primary and Downstream Industries is part of the Company’s vibrant downstream growth strategy.
In 2020, Aramco confirmed that it would proceed with the divestment of the Jazan Integrated Gasification and Combined Cycle Plant into a Joint Venture (JV) between Aramco, Air Products, ACWA Power, and Air Products Qudra, integrating the Air Separation Unit into the JV.
Once Aramco’s Jazan Refinery Complex is ready for full operations, expected in the first half of 2021, Aramco will have five wholly owned refineries within the Kingdom, three of which were built specifically to supply transportation and utility fuels for the domestic marketplace.
Hyundai Oilbank is a refinery in South Korea, established in 1964. The Daesan Complex, where Hyundai Oilbank’s major facilities are located, is a fully integrated refining plant with a processing capacity of 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day. Aramco has a 17% equity interest in Hyundai Oilbank.
Idemitsu Kosan, one of leading refining and marketing companies in Japan, is a result of a merger between Idemitsu and Showa Shell Sekiyu. Its sales in Japan are primarily gasoline, diesel oil, kerosene and automotive lubricants. Idemitsu Kosan owns and operates more than 6,400 retail service stations, has equity stakes in six refineries, and a gross refining capacity of 945,000 bpd. Aramco owns a 7.7% equity interest in Idemitsu Kosan.
Motiva Enterprises, a fully owned affiliate of Saudi Aramco, operates the Port Arthur Refinery, the largest refinery in the U.S. at 635,000 bpd in Port Arthur, Texas. Motiva has acquired a 100% equity interest in Motiva Chemicals LLC (formerly Flint Hills), a chemical plant in Port Arthur, Texas.
Sinopec SenMei Petroleum Company Limited is a joint venture of Sinopec, ExxonMobil China Petroleum & Petrochemical Company Limited and Saudi Aramco Sino Company Limited. Sinopec SenMei, with headquarters in Fuzhou, is mainly engaged in the wholesale, retail, storage, throughput and transport of the processed oil, lubricant and other petroleum products, operation of convenience stores of service stations, car washing, lubricant replacement, restaurant and other auxiliary services.
Based in Maastricht, Netherlands, as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, ARLANXEO serves the development, production, marketing, sale and distribution of specialty chemicals and synthetic rubber products, principally for the high-volume global tire and automotive industries.
A joint venture between Saudi Aramco and Sumitomo Chemical. The products produced are used in such end products as plastics, detergents, lubricants, resins, coolants, anti-freeze, paint, carpets, rope, clothing, shampoo, auto interiors, epoxy glue, insulation, film, fibers, household appliances, packaging, candles, pipes and many other applications.
The Saudi Aramco Total Refining and Petrochemical Co. (SATORP), a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and Total in Jubail, supports Saudi Aramco’s efforts to expand the value chain and achieve maximum value from the Kingdom’s resources. It processes heavy Arabian crude daily into low-sulfur gasoline, diesel and jets fuel that comply with the standards in the United States, Europe and Japan. It also produces paraxylene, benzene, sulfur and pure petroleum coke that fuels cement plants and electric power stations.
Located in Yanbu' Industrial City on the west coast of Saudi Arabia, the world-class YASREF refinery has the capacity to refine 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) of Arabian heavy crude and produces over 13.5 million gallons per day of ultra-clean transportation fuels and other high-value refined products.
Our Technology Office in Aberdeen focuses on drilling and production technologies. The European arm of Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures (SAEV) is located within the office, whose mission is to source and develop relationships with strategically significant and innovative energy technology companies.
Our Beijing Research Center conducts research on chemical enhanced oil recovery and advanced seismic imaging technologies, including automated fault detection and improvements in data quality through super resolution.
The Center is also evaluating the expansion of research activities into the downstream sector in areas such as transportation efficiency, greenhouse gas management, advanced control and power systems, robotics, materials science, nanotechnology and advanced computing.
Our CO2 Management Collaboration at the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Daejeon, South Korea, is dedicated to addressing issues related to carbon management. The collaboration follows an interdisciplinary approach to innovative and cost-effective CO2 capture, storage, and conversion from fixed and mobile sources.
The Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands is home to our technology office that focuses mainly on seismic processing and subsurface imaging to help us better understand the nature of our subsurface geology.
Aramco Innovations Research Center
Leninskiye Gory 1 bldg 75-B
119234 Moscow
Russia
Our Aramco Fuel Research Center in Paris is located at IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPen). IFP Energies nouvelles is a public-sector research, innovation and training center active in the fields of energy, transport and the environment. Thanks to this strategic placement, we can capitalize on IFPen’s facilities and links to various European automakers to accelerate the innovation cycle of different fuel technologies.
Our research areas at our Dhahran headquarters include the Research & Development Center (R&DC) and the EXPEC Advanced Research Center (EXPEC ARC).
EXPEC ARC develops specialized technologies necessary to achieve its upstream objectives of increasing discovery of oil resources and increasing reservoir recovery. An expansion of the EXPEC Advanced Research Center is currently underway, with new facilities to enable integrated research on sustainability technologies.
Our R&DC focuses on cutting-edge technologies that enhance operational reliability, efficiency and safety, as well as investigating clean fuels and the management of carbon release.
Our research center at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) focuses on catalyst development, materials science, nanotechnology, robotics, solar energy materials and fuel technology. The strong capabilities provided in downstream areas are complemented by our FUELCOM collaboration with the KAUST Clean Combustion Research Center.
Aramco Research Center-Boston supports development in the areas of computational modeling, advanced materials, and nanotechnology. The center works on collaborative research projects with the nearby Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) faculty, with a focus on modeling, visualization, simulation, and advanced materials.
Our Aramco Research Centers in Detroit, Houston, and Boston have a collaboration with the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) to support research by two Low-Carbon Energy Centers designed to address climate change challenges. The centers bring together researchers from multiple disciplines at MIT to engage with companies, governmental agencies, and other stakeholders to further research and promote clean energy technologies to mitigate climate change.
Our Aramco Research Center in Detroit focuses on competitive transportation solutions, improving the efficiency of current and future engines, reducing overall environmental impact, cost, and complexity of engine systems.
The Center can accommodate light-duty and heavy-duty fuels research programs and also offers full on-site integration and the demonstration of new vehicle technologies. Our Strategic Transportation Analysis Team, based in the Detroit Center, provides dynamic industry analysis relevant to our fuels research and development activities.
Aramco Research Center in Houston focuses on upstream technologies for conventional and unconventional resources to support discovery and recovery goals. Specific areas of research include advanced seismic imaging, unconventional productivity enhancement, smart fluids to improve well productivity, nano-based polymers, surfactants, cement technologies related to drilling operations, quantitative geology, and advanced downhole sensors. It is our largest center outside Saudi Arabia.
아람코는 클라우드가 디지털 전환 가속화를 향한 잠재력이 있다고 믿으며, 사우디아라비아 내 디지털 경제 활성화를 위해 코그나이트 사와 제휴
현대 사회는 데이터를 중심으로 운영되며, 기업의 디지털 인프라는 현대 사회의 성공적 운영에 중요한 역할을 할 수 있다. 따라서 기업이 데이터를 보호하고 사업에 도움이 되는 첨단 컴퓨팅 솔루션을 활용 및 개발할 수 있도록 보안이 철저하고 안전한 IT 인프라를 갖추는 것이 필수적이다. 이를 가능하게 하는 기술이 바로 클라우드 컴퓨팅이다. 클라우드는 향후 10년간 가장 중요하고 영향력 있는 기술 중 하나가 될 것으로 예상된다.
클라우드 컴퓨팅은 많은 장점이 있다. 클라우드는 인터넷을 통해 구현되기 때문에 기업은 언제든지 원격으로 유연하게 데이터에 접근할 수 있다. 또한 클라우드는 AI, 빅데이터∙애널리틱스, 사물인터넷 (IoT)과 같은 4IR 기술을 지원함으로써 최적화되어있고, 확장할 수 있으며 디지털 전환을 가속하는 민첩한 플랫폼을 모든 규모의 기업에 제공한다. 클라우드에서는 이러한 기능을 물리적으로 구축하는 경우 발생하는 비용이 발생하지 않기 때문에 스타트업이나 중소기업도 이러한 도구들을 쉽게 이용할 수 있다.
예를 들어, 클라우드 컴퓨팅은 상호 연결된 컴퓨팅 장치들로 이루어진 시스템인 IoT 기술이 안전하고 확장할 수 있는 방식으로 연결성을 유지하는 데 중요한 역할을 한다. 모든 규모의 기업, 특히 중자산 (heavy-asset) 산업은 다량의 데이터를 생성한다. 이러한 데이터에는 인사이트가 숨겨져 있고, 이로부터 사업의 발전과 성장을 위한 중요한 정보를 추출하기 위해서는 맥락화와 시각화를 위한 지능형 솔루션이 필요하다.
아람코는 4IR 기술이 디지털 혁신의 가속화와 사업 성과 개선 측면에서 엄청난 잠재력이 있음을 알고 있다. AI와 머신러닝에서 무인항공기 (UAV)에 이르는 이러한 새로운 디지털 기술은 이미 아람코 운영의 안전성과 효율성을 높이고 생산성과 지속가능성을 강화하는 동시에 비용을 절감하는 데 도움을 주고 있다.
그리고 아람코는 코그나이트와 제휴하여 새로운 합작 투자회사 CNTXT를 설립했다. 그리고 이 회사를 통해 아람코는 여러 산업 부문의 사용성, 신뢰성, 그리고 비즈니스 인텔리전스를 개선할 수 있는 '코그나이트 데이터 퓨전(Cognite Data Fusion)'이라는 업계 최고의 플랫폼을 제공할 예정이다. 이에 더하여, 구글 클라우드 서비스 제공을 통해 아람코는 사우디아라비아 내 기업에 고성능의 클라우드 서비스를 제공하여 증가하는 수요를 충족할 수 있도록 지원할 것이다.
글로벌 시장조사기관 IDC는 클라우드 시장이 2030년까지 최대 100억 달러 규모로 성장할 것이라고 예측했다. 구글 클라우드는 아람코와의 전략적 제휴 계약의 일환으로 사우디아라비아에 새로운 클라우드 리전 (cloud region)을 구축 및 운영할 예정이다. 이처럼 새로운 구글 클라우드 서비스 지역에 속하는 것은 기업에 구글 클라우드의 첨단 기술을 제공하고, 고객과 파트너들이 사우디아라비아 내에서 제품과 서비스를 성장 및 확장하도록 도움을 줄 것이다. CNTXT를 통해 제공될 구글 클라우드 서비스에는 구글이 사우디아라비아 동부 담맘 지역에 건립될 최초의 대규모 데이터센터를 포함한다.
사우디아라비아의 기업 고객들은 제공되는 디지털 상품을 활용하고 디지털 인프라를 클라우드로 이전함으로써 다양한 이점을 창출할 수 있다. 먼저, 클라우드 서비스를 사용하면 회사의 자본 지출과 운영 비용을 크게 줄일 수 있다. 예를 들어 IT 기업은 일반적으로 데이터 저장, 처리, 관리, 보안 등 디지털 인프라에 예산의 3분의 1 이상을 지출하고 있기 때문이다.
클라우드 기반 인프라로 전환하면 장비와 관련 유지 및 에너지 측면에서 상당한 비용 절감 효과를 얻을 수 있다. 데이터 관리, 스마트 분석 그리고 AI 등 클라우드가 지원하는 기술을 활용해 회사는 안보를 강화하고 혁신을 주도할 수 있으며 시장에 새로운 제품이나 서비스를 출시하는 데 있어 민첩해지는 동시에 수요 급증에 더 유연하게 대처할 수 있다.
사우디아라비아 내 구글 클라우드 리전이 창출하는 이점은 단지 IT 인프라를 운영할 개별 기업과 조직에 국한되지 않는다. 공공 및 민간 부문에 클라우드 서비스를 도입하면 새로운 일자리 기회가 창출되어, 사우디아라비아 국민들이 클라우드 컴퓨팅 및 기타 기술 분야에서 세계적 수준의 기술을 개발할 기회가 생긴다.
아람코 역시 여기에서 수행할 역할이 있다. 첫째, IT 및 클라우드 컴퓨팅 전문가를 채용하고, 구글 클라우드와의 계약의 일환으로 CoE (Center of Excellence)를 설립하는 것이다. 이 CoE는 디지털 전환과 관련된 다양한 기술에 대한 교육 및 자격인증을 제공하는 디지털 아카데미이다. 새로운 디지털 일자리와 교육에 대한 이러한 투자는 사우디아라비아 디지털 생태계의 전반적 발전에 도움이 될 것이다.
지역 내에서 진행 중이거나 계획 중인 야심 찬 디지털 전환 이니셔티브 중 다수는 이를 가능하게 하는 강력한 컴퓨팅 파워와 4IR 기술에 의존할 것이다. 앞으로도 아람코는 CNTXT의 출범과 구글 클라우드와의 계약을 통해 디지털 혁신과 전환을 주도하는 확장 가능한 플랫폼을 제공하여, 이러한 과정을 가속하는 데 도움을 줄 것이다.
아람코는 세계를 선도하는 디지털화된 에너지 기업이 되기 위한 노력의 하나로 가장 오래된 석유 처리 플랜트를 개조∙개선하여 4차 산업혁명(4IR) 기술 활용의 전 세계적 리더로 변모시켰다.