Juwair said the Ras Tanura project was the impetus for Saudi Aramco's project-management improvement process, and was immediately applied to the challenging Shaybah 500,000 bpd crude oil increment in the Rub' Al-Khali Desert, which was begun in late 1995. Continuous learning led to continuous improvements on the subsequent Hawiyah and Haradh Gas Plants, followed by the Qatif 800,000 bpd crude oil development. "So, as we have matured in the process, we have seen shorter schedules, lower costs, higher quality, increased safety and deeper learning in both our own workforce as well as those of our contractors and suppliers," Al-Juwair said. The efforts have also paid off in terms of recognition for the company's efforts. The Project Management Institute awarded Saudi Aramco its "Project of the Year" award in 2002 and 2004, for the Hawiyah and Haradh Gas Plants, respectively. The Construction Industry Institute presented Saudi Aramco with its "Benchmarking User" award in 2002, and its "Implementer of the Year" award that same year for the company's use of industry best-practices. Al-Juwair concluded his presentation by discussing the mega-project challenges currently facing Saudi Aramco, including: The Hawiyah NGL Recovery Plant - 310,000 bpd of ethane and NGL Khursaniyah Field Development - 500,000 bpd crude and 1 billion scfd associated gas Khurais Field Development - 1.2 million bpd crude and 420 million scfd associated gas Shaybah Field Expansion - 250,000 bpd crude increase Manifa Field Development - 900,000 bpd crude and 120 million scfd associated gas "Certainly these projects will pose significant challenges, given today's scarcity of skilled engineering and construction resources, longer delivery times for commodities, prices of goods that continue to fluctuate above normal, and keen competition for experienced engineering firms and construction contractors," Al-Juwair noted. "However, building on our past record of planning and executing mega projects under challenging circumstances, we are confident that we will be successful," he added.
