Sources in the energy sector said: “Four companies have expressed interest in submitting bids to work on unconventional gas production in Saudi Arabia, as the Kingdom moves forward with its plans to develop shale gas fields.” The sources identified the four companies as: South Korea’s GS Engineering & Construction, Italy’s Mari Technimont, Japan’s JGC, and Canada’s SNC-Lavalin. The sources added that the project by the state-run Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Aramco) will include the construction of processing facilities, wellheads, and gas pipelines in Turaif in the north of the Kingdom, where the large-scale “Wa’ad Al-Shamal” mining project is under construction. Aramco plans to produce 200 million cubic feet per day of unconventional natural gas by 2018 to supply the Waad Al-Shamal project and a power plant.