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Is Biggest Oilfield Running Dry?

Saudis may be hiding fact that world's largest reservoir is drying up

By Jonas Oransky, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 8, 2007 4:00 AM CDT

(Newser) – The world’s most critical oil field might be nearing its end. Saudi Arabia, which accounts for 19% of all oil exports, doesn’t supply hard data about its production, but a little math sleuthing by a computer scientist shows the Ghawar reservoirs should be empty soon, the Atlantic reports.

The Saudis deny that their lodestone field—at 150 miles long, it accounts for more than half their oil—is aging, but overall numbers are declining and they’ve struck out widely in search of new sources to pump. The loss is particularly troubling because the Middle Eastern nation has historically spotted the world market in emergencies, tapping excess capacity to stem disruptions.

[Images (3)]

[Videos (1)]

An industrial plant strips natural gas from freshly pumped crude oil at Saudi Aramco's Shaybah oil field at Shaybah in Saudi Arabia's Rub al-Khali desert is shown in this March 8, 2004 file photo. Police... (Associated Press)

Ghawar oil field, from which Saudi Arabia derives about half of its oil, must eventually run dry. (Shutterstock.com)

While the Saudis don't release the official tally of barrels extracted, long-term views indicate a gradual decline over the past few years. (Shutterstock.com)

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A corporate promotional video entitled "The Magic Shaybah Oil Field in Saudi Arabia" (ArabSaram (YouTube))

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Is Biggest Oilfield Running Dry?