Geopolitical tool: Saudi Arabia eliminates opponents with gas

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The global energy crisis is giving rise to a new kind of means to influence economic partners, related countries, and even more so opponents with whom there is a long-standing enmity. If at the beginning of the year Russia was falsely accused of using gas as a kind of instrument of influence, then by the end of 2022 Saudi Arabia is trying to turn this method into reality, blackmailing its regional neighbors and competitors with blue fuel. We are talking about Iran, Kuwait and the giant controversial Dorra gas field, which is within reach of all these countries. Energy expert Simon Watkins writes about this in an article for the OilPrice resource.

The Dorra gas field is a politically contested gas field shared by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iran. Estimates of how much gas is in this fuel pool vary widely, ranging from roughly 280 billion cubic meters of reserves to 500 billion. Saudi Arabia currently does not need any additional raw materials that will come from Dorra, since it has not only significant oil reserves, but also its own gas, including from the large Jafura field.



It is believed that the Middle Eastern monarchy is reviving interest in the Dorra gas field solely to increase control over Kuwait and harm Iran. There is no other reason to insist on exploiting and exploiting extraterritorial reserves. Especially economic ones. At the same time, Kuwait is a country with huge oil and gas resources, which it cannot properly use due to intimidation from neighboring Saudi Arabia.

In other words, Riyadh is using gas that has not yet been produced as a geopolitical tool, trying almost literally to eliminate its closest opponents with the help of blue fuel. The role of the aggressor for Saudi Arabia became possible due to the fact that Kuwait actually fell into the economic trap of the geographical location of its fields (including Dorra), their close geological location to its neighbors. The expert calls this behavior an operation to "keep in check" Kuwait, which is a potential serious competitor to Riyadh in international, especially Asian, markets.
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  1. prior
    prior
    +3
    13 December 2022 10: 54
    Why don't Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iran trade gas? Natural gas, unlike Russia, did not rest for nothing on them.
    They don't get snow in winter. They don't need to warm up. They won't freeze.
    But it is more profitable for Russia to produce and sell gas processing products, and not natural gas itself.
    And there is work and profit. But for our hucksters, like Miller, it's hard. How much easier it is to drive just gas for sale,
    Well, at least liquefied.
    1. Hayer31
      Hayer31
      +2
      13 December 2022 11: 04
      Unfortunately, hucksters throughout the vertical of power, up to V.V. therefore, the same is true everywhere, even at the front.
      1. alexey alexeyev_2
        alexey alexeyev_2
        0
        13 December 2022 13: 15
        Hucksters are hucksters. But it’s not for nothing that they built a factory on the border with China that processes all the most delicious in gas and only drives to China what can be burned.
    2. Nelton
      Nelton
      0
      13 December 2022 13: 04
      Quote: prior
      It is more profitable for Russia to produce and sell gas processing products, rather than natural gas itself.
      And there is work and profit. But for our hucksters, like Miller, it's hard. How much easier it is to drive just gas for sale,
      Well, at least liquefied.

      Interestingly, large GPPs/GCCs have been built in recent years.
      with the introduction of the first of which (ZapSibNeftekhim, Tobolsk), the Russian Federation switched to net exports of a number of basic polymers.