Ian Lewis, LONDON: Saudi Aramco’s push into the unconventionals sector is gathering momentum. The national oil company is reportedly eyeing a tie-up with US hydraulic-fracturing equipment firm Frac Tech Holdings, as it plans to expand its hunt for shale gas and oil in Saudi Arabia.
Aramco and Chinese firms Sinopec and CNOOC are each in talks to buy a 30% stake in Frac Tech, a fast-growing Texas-based firm that produces pressure-pumping equipment, an unnamed source close to the negotiations told Reuters. Such a deal could be worth around $2 billion. Frac Tech is also said to be close to completing talks to create a joint venture in the Middle East with Aramco, as well as ventures in...