Energizing Power Conservation

AL-KHOBAR, November 18, 2009 -- With a dramatic increase in industrial activity in the Kingdom and growing domestic consumer demand in the spotlight, Saudi Aramco hosted the 2009 Energy Efficiency Forum from Oct. 27-28 at an al-Khobar hotel.

The theme of this year’s forum, organized by the company’s Energy Management Steering Committee, was “Sustainable Energy Conservation,” and it allowed experts from within the company to share experiences with other experts from the Kingdom and elsewhere.

Chief engineer Omar S. Bazuhair stressed the growing importance of energy conservation across the Kingdom and around the world. He encouraged forum participants to seek innovative solutions to not only improve the company’s energy performance but also to share that vital information with utilities and businesses

Bazuhair noted that since the inception of the steering committee in 2000, Saudi Aramco has initiated 10 cogeneration projects to provide both steam and power to industrial facilities, saving about 69,655 barrels of oil equivalent.

In addition, Saudi Aramco is pursuing the ambitious goal of reducing annual energy consumption by 2 percent in every operating facility from both operational improvements and capital investments to retrofit the existing facilities.

“The national demand for electricity has increased by 7 percent annually over the last four years,” Bazuhair told delegates. “This will require more work from everyone in the Kingdom to be more efficient in energy utilization.”

Planning and analysis specialist Saud M. Fattah began the forum’s first session about the national energy perspective by discussing the new King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC)

He said the center, which is being built in Riyadh, will focus on energy-market policy and will research energy and environmental topics. Research will be conducted both in-house and in cooperation with leading institutions around the world.

Abdullah A. Al-Zahrani of Power Distribution gave participants a long-term view of improvements to the Kingdom’s electrical utilities. Al-Zahrani said Saudi businesses and consumers will benefit from a competitive marketplace. He noted that in studies from the United States and Europe, restructuring resulted in a 4 percent increase in efficiency and that decentralization reduced transmission and distribution congestion. He said the result for the Kingdom would be higher efficiency, cleaner air and more choices for consumers.

Bandar J. Al-Qahtani of North Ghawar Producing detailed how his organization’s efforts to save energy on GOSP saltwater disposal began with an audit that led to the replacement of existing equipment with magnetic flow meters. That resulted in considerable annual energy savings. He said plans call for extending the modification to all GOSPs within four years.

Maintenance supervisor Mohammad H. Khalifa of South Ghawar Producing talked about the optimization of a water injection plant in South Ghawar. The plant was being used to inject seawater into both the Arab-D Reservoir and the Hanifa Reservoir, which require different injection rates. Examination revealed that using the same system to serve both fields was resulting in substantial energy costs. It was decided that the existing plant would be dedicated to the Arab-D Reservoir, and new injection stations would be constructed to serve the Hanifa Reservoir

Graham H. Jones of Engineering and Project Management discussed the Oil and Gas Energy Model in development. The model will be capable of taking a companywide look at energy consumption and costs in GOSPs, gas plants and NGL plants.

In a session on commercial-building energy conservation, Mohammed Yousef of Saudi Lighting Co. said lighting represents from 10 percent to 15 percent of total electrical consumption, and there are many opportunities to save energy for consumers and businesses.

Majed O. Al-Osais of Refining, Marketing and International spoke about the company’s exploration of alternative energy sources and its recent alliance with Showa Shell regarding solar energy. He said the company was considering solar power for future office buildings, as offices usually aren’t used at night and significant numbers of solar panels can be included in a building design.

There also is preliminary work under way to explore replacing diesel-powered generation stations in the Western Province with solar plants

Petroleum engineer Hisham I. Shuwaikhat of Southern Area Production Engineering gave forum delegates an overview of Saudi Aramco’s South Ghawar swing line network. The network of 10 dedicated pipelines enables GOSP and pump shutdowns for maximum efficiency.

Husain M. Muslim of Consulting Services discussed effective steam-trap management at processing facilities.

Energy Management Steering Committee secretary and Engineering Services supervisor Ahmed M. Al-Zahrani thanked delegates for their participation, noting that the cost saving realized through energy efficiency also results in cleaner air and a healthier environment for generations to come.