Guest Editorial: Fracture Stimulation in the Middle East Past, Present, and Future

Discussions at the 2025 SPE International Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference (IHFTC) in Muscat, Oman, raised questions about how unconventional resources might best be developed in the Middle East. I attended the event, which was covered by JPT in November, and the focus on this topic prompted me to reflect on my work in the region over the past 30 years and to offer perspective on recent progress and the potential path forward. Some of the big questions I believe people in the region are—and should be—asking include: “What is my best candidate well for fracturing?” “Is a horizontal multistage-frac well the right strategy for this reservoir?” “What direction should I drill my horizontal well?” and “What is holding back fracturing in the Middle East?” The History of Fracturing in the Middle East Dubai Petroleum has said that acid fracturing was performed in vertical wells in Dubai in the 1970s (SPE 184747); however I am not aware of any publications detailing the work from that time. Qatar Petroleum reported that it began acid fracturing in 1980 in five wells targeting the Shuaiba chalk (SPE 9641). The first propped fracs in the Middle East were in Oman’s Sahmah field in 1982. This work, performed by Elf Aquitaine (SPE 17952), involved an acid fracturing job and a propped fracture placed in the same well to target a carbonate and a sandstone formation (Fig. 1). One thing these initial projects have in common is that they all sought to unlock oil production from reservoirs considered marginal. In 1989, Elf drilled a horizontal well in the same field that was considered for multiple propped fracs (SPE 21385). Soon after, the first appraisal wells for the Saih Rawl\Barik gas-condensate fields in Oman were completed with propped fractures between 1992 to 1994, and full-field development began in 1996. The main reason for hydraulic fracturing in Saih Rawl\Barik was to avoid rapid production decline due to condensate dropout and to reduce the total well count needed to supply a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant. Propped fractures increased gas rates in each well and were a cheaper option than drilling more wells (SPE 63109). As a result, the Saih Rawl\Barik fields were the first in the Middle East to be developed using hydraulic fracturing in every well. This was a key milestone in the region and led to the creation of a fracturing infrastructure in Oman. In Saudi Arabia, acid fracs were pumped quite regularly to accelerate production in vertical wells in the carbonate Khuff formation starting in 1998. By the 1990s, propped fractures were also used in the country’s pre-Khuff sandstone, where unconsolidated sands required frac packs and screenless completions. These jobs were successful. But, as in Oman, the initial fracturing in Saudi Arabia was not for "tight gas." Instead, the focus was on accelerating production and improving deliverability per well.