DUBAI: Saudi Aramco is looking to raise at least $17 billion from the sale of a significant minority stake in its gas pipelines, higher than the $12.4 billion raised from its oil pipeline deal, Reuters reported on Monday quoting unnamed sources.
Potential bidders including North American private equity and infrastructure funds, as well as state-backed funds in China and South Korea have been approached by Aramco through its advisers before a formal sale process kicks off in the next few weeks, Reuters said.
The deal size may include $3.5 billion of equity and the remainder will be funded by bank debt, one of the anonymous sources said, while another source said the transaction size could top $20 billion.
“The gas deal is about the long-term view of gas utilization and consumption in Saudi Arabia,” said one source familiar with the deal, explaining why the gas deal may generate higher proceeds.
According to Reuters, the companies tapped include the ones who took part in the stake sale process for Abu Dhabi National Oil Co.’s gas pipelines, which was bought by a consortium of investors including Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), Brookfield, Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC and European gas infrastructure owner and operator SNAM.
Aramco did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, while JPMorgan and Goldman declined to comment. Brookfield and SNAM declined to comment. GIP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Aramco, similar to Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC), used a lease and lease-back agreement to sell a 49 percent stake of newly formed Aramco Oil Pipelines Co. to the buyer and rights to 25 years of tariff payments for oil carried on its pipelines.
Saudi Aramco seeks to raise at least $17 billion from gas pipeline: Reuters
https://arab.news/6gmpa
Saudi Aramco seeks to raise at least $17 billion from gas pipeline: Reuters
- Potential bidders have been approached by Aramco through its advisers before a formal sale process kicks off in the next few weeks
Saudi Arabia, Japan trade rises 38% between 2016 and 2024, minister says
RIYADH: Trade between Saudi Arabia and Japan has increased by 38 percent between 2016 and 2024 to reach SR138 billion ($36 billion), the Kingdom’s investment minister revealed.
Speaking at the Saudi-Japanese Ministerial Investment Forum 2026, Khalid Al-Falih explained that this makes the Asian country the Kingdom’s third-largest trading partner, according to Asharq Bloomberg.
This falls in line with the fact that Saudi Arabia has been a very important country for Japan from the viewpoint of its energy security, having been a stable supplier of crude oil for many years.
It also aligns well with how Japan is fully committed to supporting Vision 2030 by sharing its knowledge and advanced technologies.
“This trade is dominated by the Kingdom's exports of energy products, specifically oil, gas, and their derivatives. We certainly look forward to the Saudi private sector increasing trade with Japan, particularly in high-tech Japanese products,” Al-Falih said.
He added: “As for investment, Japanese investment in the Kingdom is good and strong, but we look forward to raising the level of Japanese investments in the Kingdom. Today, the Kingdom offers promising opportunities for Japanese companies in several fields, including the traditional sector that links the two economies: energy.”
The minister went on to note that additional sectors that both countries can also collaborate in include green and blue hydrogen, investments in advanced industries, health, food security, innovation, entrepreneurship, among others.
During his speech, Al-Falih shed light on how the Kingdom’s pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka achieved remarkable success, with the exhibition receiving more than 3 million visitors, reflecting the Japanese public’s interest in Saudi Arabia.
“The pavilion also organized approximately 700 new business events, several each day, including 88 major investment events led by the Ministry of Investment. Today, as we prepare for the upcoming Expo 2030, we look forward to building upon Japan’s achievements,” he said.
The minister added: “During our visit to Japan, we agreed to establish a partnership to transfer the remarkable Japanese experience from Expo Osaka 2025 to Expo Riyadh 2030. I am certain that the Japanese pavilion at Expo Riyadh will rival the Saudi pavilion at Expo Osaka in terms of organization, innovation, and visitor turnout.”
Al-Falih also shed light on how Saudi-Japanese relations celebrated their 70th anniversary last year, and today marks the 71st year of these relations as well as how they have flourished over the decades, moving from one strategic level to an even higher one.
