An official source in the “Ministry of Energy” stated that the vital energy sector was recently subjected to successive attacks targeting oil and gas production facilities, transportation and refining facilities, in addition to petrochemical sites and the electricity sector in Riyadh, the Eastern Province, and “Yanbu Industrial City.” These attacks resulted in the death of an industrial security worker and the injury of seven others, in addition to the disruption of a number of operational operations in major facilities.
According to available information, the attacks targeted one of the pumping stations on the “East-West” pipeline, resulting in the loss of about 700,000 barrels per day of pumping quantities, which is a vital path for supplying global markets.
The attack also targeted the “Manifa” production plant, which led to a decrease in its production by about 300 thousand barrels per day, in addition to a similar decline in the production of the “Khurais” plant, bringing the total decrease in production capacity to about 600 thousand barrels per day.
The damage extended to refining facilities, including the SATORP facilities in Jubail, the Ras Tanura Refinery, the SAMREF Refinery in Yanbu, and the Riyadh Refinery, which directly affected exports of refined products to global markets.
Also, fires broke out at processing facilities in Juaymah, affecting exports of petroleum gas liquids (“LPG”) and natural gas liquids, indicating a widening scope of impact to include various stages of the energy chain.
The source confirmed that the continuation of these attacks will lead to a shortage in supplies and slow the pace of recovery, which will have a negative impact on global energy security, and will increase the severity of fluctuations in oil markets, especially in light of the depletion of a large portion of global operational and reserve stocks, which reduces the ability to respond quickly to any additional shortage.
