Saudi Arabia’s Aramco has discovered natural gas fields in four regions in the central area of the kingdom, in the Empty Quarter desert, near its northern border and in the eastern region.

The fields are Shadoon, in the central region, Shehab and Shurfa, in the Empty Quarter, in the southeastern region, Umm Khansar, near the northern border with Iraq, and Samna, in the eastern region, Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, reported Emirates News Agency WAM, citing a Saudi Press Agency (SPA) report.

Two of the gas fields, Samna and Umm Khansar, are "non-conventional," he said. Non-conventional deposits, also known as shale, are usually trapped in tight pore spaces, requiring special extraction techniques.