Saudi Arabia has regained its top position ahead of the U.S. and Russia as the holder of the world’s biggest recoverable oil resources, as reduced tax rates for state giant Saudi Aramco have added 73 billion barrels of recoverable oil, Norway-based consultancy Rystad Energy said on Tuesday in its annual review of global recoverable oil resources. Saudi Arabia’s recoverable oil resources are now estimated at 276 billion barrels, Rystad said, adding that the Kingdom’s “ revised fiscal regime should incentivize more aggressive exploration and development drilling in the country.” In March this year, Saudi Arabia cut the tax rate on Aramco to 50 percent from 85 percent. The high tax rate was one of the main reasons why international industry experts had not been valuing Aramco nearly as high as the US$2 trillion that Saudi officials have been claiming. Back then, Rystad Energy said that the tax rate cut […]