SAFETY REVIEW
Success in the face of adversity at Khurais Producing
Executive Management Safety Review hears of resilience, grit, and determination in the face of unprecedented challenges.
Saudi Aramco president and CEO Amin Nasser has expressed his appreciation for the determined efforts of the Khurais Producing Department’s (KhPD) employees in the face of major challenges.
The Khurais facility, alongside Abqaiq, was the scene of attacks in September 2019.
The facility rebounded successfully with an impressive restoration program, but was then confronted by the global COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. There have been no recorded active cases in KhPD.
After the attacks, what was achieved by the team was amazing and you made us all proud. This is a great story that needs to be shared with future generations.
— Saudi Aramco president and CEO Amin Nasser
Nasser made his comments at an Executive Management Safety Review (EMSR).
Achievements
Nasser was joined on a tour of KhPD by vice president of Southern Area Oil Operations (SAOO) Khaled A. Al Buraik, acting general manager of SAOO, Abdulaziz Al Saleh, Salah A. Al Juaidan, manager of KhPD, Aali M. Al Zahrani, vice president of Safety & Industrial Security, and Motaz A. Al Mashouk, executive director of Engineering Services.
Major achievements at the facility during testing times:
- the full restoration of the Khurais Central Processing Facility to its original state prior to the 2019 attacks
- the winning of several national and international awards, including the World Economic Forum’s IR 4.0 Lighthouse designation
- the King Abdul Aziz Quality Award at gold level
- the successful completion of the Khurais Increment
The BI-1506 Increment Project is one of the key projects at the facility and has contributed to the increase of Khurais production by 300,000 barrels per day, despite suspension in 2016 and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Challenges
At the EMSR debriefing, Nasser said that 2020 had been a year of challenges, but that employees had made the difference.
2020 was one of the worst years ever, and the impact was severe for the energy industry.
— Saudi Aramco president and CEO Amin Nasser
He reaffirmed Aramco’s commitment to diversifying its business and reducing emissions and spoke about the company’s vaccination program through its health care joint venture, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare.
Nasser urged all employees to continue to pay attention to their well-being and that of others during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Closing the EMSR, Al Juaidan highlighted the department’s proudest moment in executing the effective and safe emergency response that was crucial in minimizing the damage of the attacks on the Khurais facility.
“All four fire incidents were extinguished within four hours. This reduced the magnitude of the damage and facilitated faster production restoration,” he said.
