Saudi Aramco plans to nearly double its gas production to 651millon cubic meters per day in the next decade, its chief executive said on Tuesday. Amin Nasser also told an industry conference that Saudi Arabia has managed to increase gas production from 99 mcm per day in 1982 to more than 339 mcm now and this figure is expected to double to around 651 mcm during the coming decade, Reuters reported. "Work is under way to execute an ambitious plan to implement this during the coming 10 years," he said, without detailing the plan. Saudi Aramco, the world's largest oil and gas company, has embarked on a massive program to boost gas output for electricity and petrochemical production by developing gas fields not associated with oil production. For instance, it is exploring and developing unconventional gas in the north of the kingdom. Nasser also said Aramco was moving ahead with the strategy "to achieve a better balance between the total exploration and production capacity, which stands at 12 million barrels per day of crude oil, and its refining capacity".
