Saudi minister affirms energy deliveries despite infrastructure attacks

Saudi Arabia can maintain energy supplies despite attacks on its infrastructure and regional market disruption, Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said on Monday, emphasising the kingdom's capacity to repair damaged facilities and redirect exports.

Addressing the WPC Energy Congress in Riyadh, Prince Abdulaziz said the reliability of an energy supplier should be judged not simply by its production capacity but by its ability to continue delivering during emergencies.

"Energy resilience is beyond barrels of spare capacity, of pipelines and gigawatts of generation," he said. "It must also be measured by the ability to maintain, repair, reroute, substitute and recover."

His assurance came as attacks on Saudi airports and energy infrastructure intensified concerns about the security of shipments from one of the world's largest crude exporters. Disruptions to regional shipping routes have already forced Gulf producers to find alternative ways of delivering oil to customers.

The kingdom's East-West pipeline has become central to that response. The link carries crude from production centres in eastern Saudi Arabia to Yanbu on the Red Sea, enabling shipments to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, where traffic has been severely disrupted by the regional war.

Prince Abdulaziz said on October 6 that flows through the pipeline had reached approximately 5.8 million barrels per day, following repairs to damage sustained during attacks in September. The pipeline has a capacity of about seven million barrels daily, making it an alternative export route.

Saudi Arabia temporarily shut the pipeline after attacks on September 11, while crude loading operations at Yanbu were also affected. Its subsequent restoration demonstrated the practical importance of repair teams, operational flexibility and alternative infrastructure in limiting export interruptions.

The minister offered no new production or export figures in his Monday address. His remarks instead concentrated on the capacity to maintain commitments under pressure, a distinction closely watched by refiners and traders concerned about disruptions to oil supply.

Saudi crude exports recovered in September. Energy cargo tracking data compiled by Vortexa showed Saudi shipments rising to around 6.6 million barrels per day, helping lift exports from several Gulf producers despite continuing shipping and security difficulties.

Regional crude, condensate and refined-product exports nevertheless remained below levels recorded before the war. Vortexa estimated that combined September flows from seven Gulf exporters, excluding Iran, averaged 19.2 million barrels daily, against 23.6 million before hostilities began in February.

The contrast highlights the difference between restoring crude shipments and normalising the wider energy trade. Refined fuels continued to face greater constraints, while risks affecting shipping, insurance and logistics complicated the movement of petroleum products through the region.

Security concerns have also disrupted the Riyadh congress itself. The chief executives of ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, Shell, Chevron and BP were absent from the programme released by organisers on Monday, although they had previously been expected to participate.

BP said travel disruption had prevented its representatives from attending in person. Prince Abdulaziz thanked delegates who reached Riyadh and acknowledged that proceeding with the gathering did not mean the security risks had disappeared.

The conference is taking place close to King Khalid International Airport, which has been struck repeatedly. Saudi authorities said an attack on Saturday killed 13 people and injured more than 300, while another strike on Sunday killed one person and wounded others. Yemen's Houthi movement claimed responsibility for attacks on the capital.

The minister warned that energy security could not be assumed and said the crisis was testing infrastructure, institutions and decisions made before the conflict. He stressed that resilience depended on advance preparation rather than measures introduced only after supplies came under threat.

At an International Energy Forum ministerial meeting on Sunday, Prince Abdulaziz also reaffirmed Saudi Arabia's intention to meet its obligations to global customers. He called for international cooperation, arguing that responsibility for securing energy supplies could not rest with one producing country alone.

Saudi Arabia is developing additional pipeline routes to reduce reliance on Hormuz, he said, describing the cost of alternatives as lower than the consequences of lacking them during a disruption. The initiative would complement existing infrastructure rather than immediately remove exposure to attacks.

The Riyadh congress, originally scheduled for April, was postponed after the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran began. It is the first time Saudi Arabia has hosted the event, which brings together officials and energy industry executives.