Gulf States Eye Fracking as Energy Output Boost
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain are considering adopting hydraulic fracturing to boost oil and gas production, following in the footsteps of Saudi Arabia and Oman.
Saudi Arabia and Oman have already been using fracking techniques, including horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, to extract oil and gas from tight rock formations. The technology involves injecting a high-pressure mixture of water, sand, and chemicals into the rock to release oil and gas.
The UAE has two promising projects: Ruwais Diyab unconventional gas development and Unconventional Onshore Block 3, where US shale specialist EOG Resources is exploring for oil. Abu Dhabi state oil company Adnoc and France's TotalEnergies are at an advanced stage at Ruwais Diyab, with early gas production beginning in 2020.
The UAE has estimated resources of 160 trillion standard cubic feet of recoverable unconventional gas and 22 billion barrels of recoverable unconventional oil. Adnoc estimates that 2.1 billion cubic feet of gas per day from Ruwais Diyab could generate 13 gigawatts of continuous electricity, equivalent to the power requirements of another Abu Dhabi.