The drone strike on major Saudi Arabian oil sites, including the world’s largest oil processing facility, could add a significant risk premium to the price of crude oil, as the attack cut the kingdom’s output in half.
Armed drones targeted a refinery in the city of Abqaiq, the crown jewel of the Saudi oil infrastructure, which is crucial for global energy supplies, and a refinery at the vast Khurais oil field. The attack, claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, seriously damaged the kingdom’s production capacity, affecting more than 5 million barrels of crude processing per day.
Despite assurances from the International Energy Agency (IEA) that the global oil markets are “well supplied,” and oil giant Saudi Aramco saying it can restore production, this major disruption in the world’s leading oil exporting state is poised to send oil prices soaring when trading reopens late Sunday, analysts believe.
The gloomiest scenario includes crude prices in triple digits. If the shortage persists for a long time, oil is feared to rise to $100, according to Forbes and some industry experts. Moreover, the already slow global growth may suffer even more.
GAMES OF DRONES attacks on key Saudi oil assets will spike oil prices and add a new geopolitical risk. How long do oil infrastructure and tanker attacks continue without Saudi response? pic.twitter.com/Nq5Q2n9sOw
— Joe McMonigle