Saudi Aramco has awarded a $175 million contract to Baker Hughes, a GE company, to drive enhanced production at the Haradh and Hawiyah gas fields, underlining the strong local partnerships of BHGE in the Kingdom.
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 Saudi 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 percent of the overall energy mix, the highest among the G20 countries.
BHGE will supply 27 high-efficiency 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, contributing to increased operational efficiency.
BHGE will work with local suppliers to help deliver the equipment order, contributing to increased localization and technology transfer. This in turn supports a Saudi-based small and medium enterprises (SME) supply chain that will boost the economy.
Abdulaziz Al-Abdulkarim, vice president of procurement and supply chain management, Saudi Aramco, said: “Through our major projects we are supporting the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 that focuses on localizing our industry and creating new jobs for Saudi talents. The contract with BHGE has a strong in-Kingdom value creation component that will benefit the development of a ‘Made in Saudi’ supply chain for the oil and gas sector. The gas compression trains to be supplied by BHGE will further enhance the efficiency of our gas fields, bringing more value to the economy.”
Rami Qasem, president and CEO, BHGE, MENAT and India, said: “With over 80 years of presence in the Kingdom, we are committed to supporting the oil and gas sector through our advanced equipment that brings greater operational efficiency and productivity to Saudi Aramco, our long-term partner. The contract also marks further localization of our operations by drawing on our global competencies to support the Saudi economy, with the gas compression trains manufactured in Italy and packaged here in Saudi. A portion of the testing and assembly will also be done in the Kingdom, with the support of Saudi SME partners, reinforcing our focus on developing the local supply chain in line with the IKTVA program of Saudi Aramco.”
Saudi Aramco awards $175m contract to Baker Hughes for Haradh, Hawiyah gas fields
Saudi Aramco awards $175m contract to Baker Hughes for Haradh, Hawiyah gas fields
Kuwait Fund for Development: Six decades of humanitarian and developmental impact across globe
On Dec. 31, the Kuwait Fund for Development marks the anniversary of its establishment, opening a new chapter of success and ambition as one of the most prominent pioneers of development on both regional and global levels. Founded in 1961, the fund became the first and oldest development institution to operate in Arab countries and other developing nations.
Today, after more than six decades of continuous work, the Kuwait Fund for Development remains steadfast in its mission and has never ceased its efforts to support development causes in developing countries. As it celebrates its 64th anniversary, the fund has drawn a national portrait under the theme “Partners in Development,” reflected through its projects spread across the globe, all of which aim to build brighter and more sustainable future.
An external development arm
The establishment of the Kuwait Fund for Development embodied a wise and visionary decision by the leadership of Kuwait at the time. Kuwait was the only developing country that chose to share the challenges of development with other developing nations, cooperating with them through the provision of concessional loans, grants, financial assistance, and technical support tailored to their development priorities.
Since its inception, the Kuwait Fund for Development has served as Kuwait’s external development arm, sparing no effort in supporting development causes and extending assistance to developing countries worldwide.
Vision and early beginnings
In the early 1960s, the late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, then head of the financial department, proposed the idea of establishing a development entity that would serve Kuwait’s foreign policy and assist Arab and other developing countries in achieving development across various sectors. The idea received strong support from the late Amir Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, as it aligned with Kuwait’s vision at the time to build a modern state.
Consequently, an Amiri decree was issued on Dec. 31, 1961, establishing the Kuwait Fund for Development with an initial capital of 50 million Kuwaiti dinars ($162.6 million).
Global reach and development impact
The fund’s activities have extended to all corners of the world, contributing to the financing of projects in 106 countries, including 16 Arab countries, 41 African countries, 19 in East and South Asia and the Pacific, 17 in Central Asia and Europe, and 12 in Latin America and the Caribbean.
This support was delivered through 1,037 concessional loans provided to the governments of these countries, with a total value of approximately 7 billion Kuwaiti dinars. In addition, the fund has provided grants and technical assistance to support a wide range of development services, helping beneficiary countries implement their development programs. A total of 420 grants and technical assistance operations were extended, amounting to approximately 401 million Kuwaiti dinars.
Loan agreements
During the past year, the Kuwait Fund for Development signed several loan agreements supporting development across different regions of the world. Among these were two loan agreements with the government of Bahrain. The first loan, valued at 31.25 million Kuwaiti dinars, contributed to financing the Electricity Transmission Networks Development Project. The second loan, valued at 10 million Kuwaiti dinars, supported the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Highway Development Project (Phase II).
On the sidelines of the World Bank Group meetings held in Washington, D.C., the fund has also signed a 4 million Kuwaiti dinar-worth loan agreement with Saint Lucia to help finance the Sir Julian R. Hunte Highway Project, as well as another 4 million Kuwaiti dinar-worth loan agreement with Belize to support the George Price Highway Project.
Supporting and assisting refugees
The Kuwait Fund for Development’s contributions to humanitarian action stand out at both regional and international levels. Since its establishment, the fund has represented a unique model in supporting and assisting refugees in countries affected by disasters, conflicts, and wars, in line with Kuwait’s moderate and balanced policy.
These efforts have helped strengthen Kuwait’s relations with Arab and international partners. The fund has played a significant role in the reconstruction of Lebanon and Iraq following periods of crisis, and its assistance to the Palestinian people has never ceased.
International Participation
Over the past year, the Kuwait Fund for Development recorded notable participations in major international forums. These included taking part in the 2025 annual meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C., with a delegation headed by the fund’s Acting Director General Walid Shamlan Al-Bahar. The fund also took part in the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, held in Tokyo, Japan.
Additional international engagements included participation in the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, held in Awaza, Turkmenistan, and the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, organized by the UN in Seville, Spain.
