Saudi Arabia oil facilities engulfed in flames after drone attacks
Two major oil facilities in Saudi Arabia have burst into flames following drone attacks, state media reports.
Footage has emerged of flames and smoke engulfing Abqaiq, the site of state-owned company Aramco’s largest oil processing plant.
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A separate attack also set alight an oilfield in Khurais, another Aramco facility.
Both fires are now under control, reports say.
Iran-aligned Houthi fighters in Yemen have taken responsibility for the attacks.
“At 04:00 (01:00 GMT), the industrial security teams of Aramco started dealing with fires at two of its facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais as a result of… drones,” the official Saudi Press Agency reported.
“The two fires have been controlled.”
The Abqaiq facility is about 60km south-west of Dhahran in Saudi Arabia’s eastern province, while Khurais, home to the country’s second largest oilfield, is around 200km further south-west.
Abqaiq produces around 7m barrels per day, while Khurais produces around 1.5m per day with reported reserves of more than 20bn barrels.
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There was no immediate effect on the price of oil as global markets had already closed for the weekend.
Aramco is currently preparing for an initial public offering in a bid to reduce the economy’s reliance on oil.