Saudi Aramco has awarded a $175m contract to Baker Hughes, a GE company (BHGE) to improve gas production from the Haradh and Hawiyah gas fields in the kingdom.

London and Houston-headquartered BHGE will supply 27 gas compression trains consisting of compressors, gearboxes, electric motors and loop oil systems for the extraction of gas from the Haradh and Hawiyah to feed the fields’ existing gas plants for processing.

The contract will be delivered by BHGE’s multi-modal facilities in the kingdom which will undertake the packaging, assembly, testing and servicing of the turbomachinery equipment.

The company claims its latest turbomachinery contract award from Aramco further cements its commitment to the kingdom’s IKTVA programme, and the trust the Saudi energy giant reposes in helping its work towards the Vision 2030 goals.

BHGE has stated that working on this project will lead to the company further supporting the development of high quality jobs for Saudi professionals and expansion of the existing facilities. The company has also said it will work with local Saudi suppliers to help deliver the equipment order.

Part of Al-Ghawar, the world’s largest oilfield, Haradh and Hawiyah gas fields play a key role in supporting the kingdom’s focus on leveraging its gas resources, complementing Aramco’s plans to double gas production to 23 billion standard cubic feet per day in the next decade. This is also in line with the kingdom’s goal to increase the contribution of gas from 50 to 70 per cent of the overall energy mix, the highest among the G20 countries.

Aramco last month signed a number of agreements with several engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors, included in which were contracts for enhancing its gas compression programme at Haradh and Hawiyah. Together, the contracts were valued at nearly $4.5bn.

MEED last week reported that Aramco had also awarded a local contractor a job for the construction of roads and carrying out earthworks in Haradh and Hawiyah.