RIYADH —
Saudi Aramco on Tuesday posted a 39-percent jump
in third-quarter profits year on year boosted by higher oil prices resulting
largely from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
اضافة اعلان
The energy giant’s net income totaled $42.4 billion
— up from $30.4 billion during the same period last year — and was “primarily
driven by higher crude oil prices and volumes sold”, it said in a filing with
the Saudi stock exchange.
CEO Amin Nasser touted the firm’s “strong earnings
and record free cash flow” of $45 billion, up from $28.7 billion at this time last
year.
“While global crude oil prices during this period
were affected by continued economic uncertainty, our long-term view is that oil
demand will continue to grow for the rest of the decade given the world’s need
for more affordable and reliable energy,” he said in a statement.
Aramco’s latest financial results were published
just days before the COP27 climate summit aimed at curbing global warming.
Last year, ahead of the
COP26 climate-change summit,
Saudi Arabia pledged to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2060, sparking
skepticism from environmental campaigners.
Saudi Aramco, for its part, has pledged to achieve
“operational net-zero” carbon emissions by 2050.
That applies to emissions that are produced directly
by Aramco’s industrial sites, but not the CO2 produced when clients burn Saudi
oil in their cars, power plants and furnaces.
Saudi officials have lately stressed the need for
more investment in the sector, arguing that focusing on climate change at the
expense of energy security would further fuel inflation and other economic
woes.
‘Crown jewel’
Aramco is Saudi Arabia’s
“crown jewel” and primary source of revenue.
It has been well positioned to benefit from energy
price spikes, boasting “the lowest cost of production by a huge margin”
compared to other oil companies, said Ellen Wald, author of “Saudi Inc.”, a
history of the company.
That strong performance has led to a banner economic
year for Saudi Arabia, driving a surplus that could help finance ambitious
plans by
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to open up the kingdom and diversify
its oil-reliant economy.
On Monday, Saudi Arabia reported a preliminary
estimate of 8.6 percent economic growth in the third quarter of 2022 compared
to the same period last year, “mainly due to the increase in oil
activities”.
The
International Monetary Fund has said Saudi
Arabia’s GDP is expected to expand by 7.6 percent this year.
Long-term, Saudi Arabia plans to increase daily oil
production capacity by more than one million barrels to exceed 13 million by
2027.
Aramco floated 1.7 percent of its shares on the Saudi bourse
in December 2019, generating $29.4 billion in the world’s biggest initial public
offering.
Read more Region and World
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
