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1 1 (October 1, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govbbfy0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional _____ *Research Service ~hformrng the Iegislative debate since 1914 Attacks on Saudi Oil Facilities: Effects and Responses October 1, 2019 September 14, 2019, saw an attack on Saudi Aramco's, Saudi Arabia's national oil company, Abqaiq oil processing facility and Khurais oil field and processing plant. The attack, which used both missiles and drones, temporarily disrupted 5.7 million barrels per day (mb/d) of oil production, over half of Saudi Arabia's oil production and about 50% of global supply. For context, U.S. crude oil production is approximately 12 mb/d. Abqaiq Facility Abqaiq is a key processing facility for Saudi Arabia crude. Two important functions provided by Abqaiq include (1) crude oil stabilization, a process that removes hydrogen sulfide and reduces the volatility of crude oil to specifications required for shipping, and (2) gas oil separation, where oil is separated from other hydrocarbons such as methane, butane, and propane. The Abqaiq facility was reportedly operating at about 4.9 mb/d prior to the attack and has a maximum capacity of 7 mb/d. According to Bloomberg, Abqaiq suffered five strikes on crude-stabilization towers and another 11 strikes on infrastructure that separates gaseous hydrocarbons from crude oil. Khurais Field and Facility The Khurais field has a production capacity of 1.5 mb/d under normal circumstances. All oil from the Khurais field is processed on site. Khurais processing infrastructure suffered damage to four crude- stabilization towers, with differing degrees of damage. Restoration Efforts Saudi Aramco is working to replace the disrupted supply and restore production capacity. Reportedly, Aramco is utilizing oil from storage to meet current export commitments as well as spare capacity not Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN11173 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress