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Article: Just deserts: after more than two years of geological surveys, the moment of truth is approaching for South Rub al-Khali Company (SRAK) in its search for gas in Saudi Arabia's Empty Quarter. At stake is the fate of the kingdom's first major upstream gas initiative.(RUB AL-KHALI (EMPTY QUARTER))(Cover story)
- Article from:
- MEED Middle East Economic Digest
- Article date:
- March 24, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 MEED Middle East Economic Digest. All Rights Reserved. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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If all goes according to schedule, the first wildcat well will be spudded in early May at Isharat in block 6 of the South Rub al-Khali contract area in southwestern Saudi Arabia. A few months later, a second well will be spudded at nearby Al-Mirtan. Ultimately, up to seven exploration wells will be drilled in the pre-Khuff stratigraphic rock strata, 4,300-5,500 metres below the surface.
These are defining moments for the Al-Khobar-based upstream operator, South Rub al-Khali Company (SRAK). Over the past 30 months, it has employed myriad leading-edge tools to scout for hydrocarbon deposits in the vast and inhospitable Rub al-Khali (Empty Quarter) basin. From ...