Manama: An official source at the Ministry of Energy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia said that vital energy facilities in the Kingdom have recently been subjected to multiple attacks, including oil and gas production, transportation and refining facilities, as well as petrochemical facilities and the electricity sector in Riyadh, the Eastern Province, and Yanbu Industrial City. The attacks resulted in the death of one Saudi national from the industrial security personnel of the Saudi energy company and the injury of seven others, in addition to the disruption of a number of operational activities at key energy facilities.
According to Bahrain News Agency, the attacks included one of the pumping stations on the East-West Pipeline, leading to a loss of approximately 700,000 barrels per day in throughput. The pipeline is considered a main route for supplying global markets during this period.
The Manifa production facility was also targeted, resulting in a reduction of approximately 300,000 barrels per day from its production capacity, while the Khurais facility had previously been targeted, leading to a reduction of 300,000 barrels per day from its production capacity, bringing the total reduction in the Kingdom's production capacity to approximately 600,000 barrels per day.
The attacks extended to major refining facilities, including SATORP in Jubail, Ras Tanura refinery, SAMREF refinery in Yanbu, and Riyadh refinery, directly affecting exports of refined products to global markets. Processing facilities in Ju'aymah were also affected by fires, impacting exports of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and natural gas liquids.
The continuation of these attacks leads to reduced supply and slows recovery, affecting the security of supply for consuming countries and contributing to increased volatility in oil markets. This has also negatively impacted the global economy, particularly with the depletion of a significant portion of operational and emergency inventories, affecting supply availability and limiting the ability to respond to the shortfall.