Saudi Aramco, the Kingdom’s energy giant, has had its Khurais oil facility recognized by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as a leader in the adoption and integration of technology.
The Khurais oil facility is also second to be included in WEF’s Global Lighthouse Network, a platform focused on encouraging adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) advanced technology, after the Uthmaniyah Gas Plant.
“We are delighted to be recognized once again by WEF for our deployment of cutting-edge technologies. Aramco continues to push the envelope of technological innovation in the energy sector and, through the adoption of 4IR solutions, we have achieved significant gains at our facilities in terms of efficiency, safety and environmental performance,” Aramco CEO and President Amin Nasser said in a statement.
Advanced technology and manufacturing processes are lagging in adoption by many global companies, WEF has said, noting that “only a select group of leading manufacturers are able to deploy advanced manufacturing at scale.”
Only 54 facilities worldwide have been included in the Global Lighthouse Network, with Khurais being one of 10 added this year. The Uthmaniyah Gas Plant was included in 2019. Aramco is only one of nine companies globally that has more than one facility represented in the WEF network, and the only major energy company that is part of the Lighthouse network, the company says.
“Khurais is the largest intelligent oil field in the world, harnessing advances in Big Data analytics, machine learning, smart sensors and robotics. This recognition of Khurais exactly one year to the day since it was targeted in a 2019 attack is a clear indication of our team’s ability to record the highest level of achievement, despite the most difficult challenges,” Nasser added.
Khurais is a large oil field in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia. Last year after drones and missiles attacked Khurais and the Abqaiq facility in the Kingdom. Following an investigation, it is believed that the weapons used in these attacks were of Iranian origin.
