Indian engineering and construction group Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has completed the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) work for a key part of Saudi Aramco’s Master Gas System Expansion (MGS) Package 8 pipeline project in Saudi Arabia.
The work involved a 120-km stretch of 56-inch pipeline, welded using automatic welding systems from Qapqa. This Dutch company supplies technology for pipeline construction in oil, gas, hydrogen, water, and mining industries. According to Qapqa, the section was completed with a repair rate of only 0.6 per cent, showing the accuracy of the automated process when applied at scale.
Welding Technology in Use
Qapqa supplied the automatic welding solutions that carried out the work across the 120-km line. The company said the use of automation improved both speed and quality while reducing the need for manual intervention. For projects of this size, where thousands of welds are required, keeping repair rates this low is seen as a strong technical outcome.
Part of the Gas System Expansion
The Master Gas System, run by Aramco, is one of the largest gas networks in the world. Its expansion, carried out in phases, is intended to add more capacity and strengthen the supply of natural gas across Saudi Arabia.
The pipeline completed by L&T is part of the MGS Booster Gas Compression Station project. This station will add capacity to the East-West Pipeline system, which distributes sales gas across different regions of the kingdom.
Work on the Next Section
Following the handover of this part of the pipeline, Qapqa said its teams have moved on to work on another phase, known as EWG-04. This stage covers part of a 241-km pipeline, where the same automatic welding methods are being used to maintain consistency and efficiency.
L&T’s Contribution
L&T Hydrocarbon, the company’s energy-focused business, is handling the project. The contract was awarded as part of the third phase of Aramco’s Master Gas System expansion. This stage, also called MGS-3, includes several large packages handled by major contractors.
The completion adds to L&T’s portfolio of projects in Saudi Arabia, where the company has carried out several major works in oil and gas infrastructure.
Details of the Expansion
In June last year, Aramco announced it had signed 15 contracts worth $8.8 billion to start Phase III of the expansion program. The plan includes about 4,000 km of new pipelines and 17 gas compression trains.
The expansion, carried out with the Ministry of Energy, will raise the system’s capacity by 3.15 billion standard cubic feet per day once finished. This will make the gas network larger and allow it to handle more supply for domestic use.
Practical Progress on the Ground
The 120-km section now completed by L&T shows the progress being made on the expansion project. With the use of automated welding, the work was finished with low repair rates and high efficiency, marking a solid result for the contractors involved.
For Qapqa, it reflects the performance of its welding systems in large-scale field conditions. For L&T, it is another delivery in a region where it has become a regular contractor for energy infrastructure projects.
The completion of this pipeline stretch under Aramco’s MGS Package 8 is a clear step in the expansion of Saudi Arabia’s gas network. L&T delivered the construction, while Qapqa’s welding technology ensured the pipeline was laid with speed and accuracy. With further phases already underway, the project continues to move forward section by section.
