Dorra

Dorra Oil and Gas Field Profile

Location

The Dorra Oil and Gas Field is located in the shallow waters of the northern Arabian Gulf, at the junction of the territorial claims of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. Specifically, it is situated in the Partitioned Neutral Zone (PNZ) between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, with coordinates 28.9686, 49.1122 (WGS 84).

Field Details

• Name Variations: The field is also known as Arash or Durra.
• Complex: It is part of the Dorra/Arash/Durra complex.
• Discovery Year: The field was discovered in the mid-1960s.

Ownership and Operation

• Operators: The field is operated by Khafji Joint Operations, a joint venture between Kuwait Gulf Oil Company (KGOC) and Aramco Gulf Oil Company.
• Ownership: The ownership is split 50% between KGOC and Aramco Gulf Oil Company.

Project Status

• Current Status: The project is currently in development.
• Expected FID Year: The Final Investment Decision (FID) is expected in 2025.
• Expected Production Start Year: Production is anticipated to begin by 2028.

Reserves and Resources

• Gas Reserves:
  • 297.324 million m³ (reserves as of 2020)
  • 325.640 million m³ (resources as of 2022)
  • 566.331 million m³ (1P reserves as of 2023).
• Oil Reserves:
  • 300 million barrels (reserves and resources as of 2020 and 2022 respectively).

Production Targets

• Gas Production: The target is to produce 1 billion cubic feet (bcf) or 28.3 million cubic meters (mcm) per day of gas. Alternatively, it is also mentioned as 800 million cubic feet per day.
• Condensate Production: The field aims to produce 84,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) of condensate.
• Design Capacity:
  • Gas: 9,302 million m³ per year
  • Oil: 30.66 million barrels per year (by 2029).

Development Plan

• Infrastructure: The plan includes the construction of seven jackets with five wells each, totaling 35 wells. The output will be processed at the Central Gas Processing (CGP) facility, which is jointly owned by Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
• Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC): International engineering and design firms have been appointed to work on the full-field development plan. Procurement of long-lead items has begun before the completion of the Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) to expedite the project.

Historical and Current Challenges

• Territorial Disputes: The field's development has been delayed due to territorial disputes and undefined maritime boundaries between Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. Negotiations have been ongoing, with significant progress made in recent years.
• Operational Delays: The project was halted several times due to differences in pipeline routes, gas production sharing, and operational philosophies between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Production from the Partitioned Neutral Zone (PNZ) fields was also suspended from 2014 to 2020, further delaying the Dorra project.

Regional Significance

• Domestic Demand: The gas produced from the Dorra field will primarily be absorbed into the domestic networks of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, given their growing gas demands. The impact on the global gas and LNG market is expected to be insignificant.
• Regional Relations: The development of the Dorra field serves as a bellwether for regional relations between Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, reflecting the complexities and challenges in cooperation among these countries.

Current Activities

• Procurement and Construction: Procurement and construction activities are ongoing, with a focus on expediting the project by procuring long-lead items early and streamlining the tender approval cycle.
• FEED and EPC: The FEED study has commenced, and the client is preparing to appoint an EPC contractor once the study is completed.

The Dorra Oil and Gas Field development is a significant project that not only addresses the energy needs of the region but also highlights the complexities of international cooperation and territorial disputes in the energy sector.