Onshore Maintain Potential Program Wellhead and Pipeline Tie-ins

In 2014, we were contracted to provide multi-discipline construction services for wellsites and the product pipeline infrastructure supporting Saudi Aramco’s ongoing Maintain Potential Program. The program’s goal is to maintain the production capacity of some of the largest oil and gas fields in the world.

The Maintain Potential Program area encompasses 500 sq km of sparsely populated desert scrub and mountainous sand dunes. In this vast and difficult environment, we have simultaneously operated as many as 40 worksites, and by mid-2021 had provided support for more than 496 wells. The main construction challenge has been the size and area of the mandate. The everyday logistics of moving personnel and materials are considerable. We have over 34.9 million work-hours on the project and at times have employed as many 2,500 people. Long distances result in an average 200 km, 4-hour round trip commute to worksites. Transportation is particularly difficult in these areas, where towering sand dunes regularly cover the road and wellsites. Clearing away the sand is a constant maintenance requirement.

Our expert team with decades of experience in the area quickly established the structured approach necessary to effectively and efficiently managing the myriad activities and logistical challenges. We first assembled and certified a large workforce and supported it with strategically located, full camp facilities. Personnel are housed primarily at a 1,200-person camp in Khurais along with a second camp housing 450 personnel and a 400-person camp in Hawtha, as well as smaller outlying camps as needed. Bus services safely and efficiently transport personnel to the worksites. Equipment and materials are closely managed and coordinated to optimise project schedules and minimise logical logistical constraints.

Our mandate involves a portfolio of projects and a diverse set of applications, including gas, oil, and water well tie ins; flow lines, trunk lines to the gas and oil separation plants; remote terminal units; cathodic protection; overhead power lines; Supervisory Control Data Acquisition (SCADA) connectivity; electrical and instrumentation; structural steel; and all associated concrete and earthworks. The initial contract was assigned in 2014 and has since been extended multiple times due to our ability to efficiently meet targets with an emphasis on safety and quality.