Schlumberger has inaugurated a new oilfield research center in Dharhan under the patronage of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Higher Education Dr. Khalid Al Angari and the Minister of Petroleum & Mineral Resources Mr. Ali Naimi. Schlumberger Chairman and CEO Andrew Gould, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals Director Dr. Khalid Al-Sultan and the President & CEO of Saudi Aramco Mr. Abdallah Jum’ah officiated at the opening ceremony.
The new state-of-the-art center, to be known as the Schlumberger Dhahran Carbonate Research (SDCR), houses a team of international scientists working on oil and gas industry research projects in collaboration with other research institutes, both in the Kingdom and worldwide. Activities will emphasize the carbonate reservoirs of the Middle East but are expected to have worldwide application.
More than 300 oil and gas industry, government and academic institution representatives attended the opening that featured presentations of the research center’s projects, as well as displays of current Schlumberger technologies. A one-day Reservoir Optimization Conference that will include a number of joint Schlumberger/Saudi Aramco workshops follows the official opening.
Commenting on the opening, Andrew Gould, Schlumberger Chairman and CEO remarked; “We believe the combination of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s leading human and natural resources and our own expertise will allow this new center to develop ground-breaking technologies that will maximize both oil and gas resources in the region and the contribution the exploration and production industry makes to the global economy.”
SDCR is the first research center to open on the King Abdullah Science Park at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM). It has been built to promote future technology development through closer interaction between research scientists from Schlumberger, experts from KFUPM, Saudi Aramco, and the King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) as well as other regional oil companies and institutions.
In recognizing the location, KFUPM Director Dr. Khalid Al-Sultan stated: “This research center is a pure example of universities’ persistence to create technical alliances with major technology companies such as Schlumberger.”
SDCR is the first of its kind in the Middle East and Africa. The decision to locate it in Saudi Arabia was based on the Kingdom’s dominant position in oil and gas reserves and production capacity, as well as on the availability of experts and scientists capable of working on projects designed to facilitate focused technological solutions.
