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Saudi Aramco signs $13B deal for new domestic gas project State-owned   Saudi Aramco   says it has signed a deal for a new gas project that will be worth more than 50 billion Saudi riyals ($13.3 billion) when complete in 2019 aimed at meeting the kingdom's growing domestic demand for energy. The company today said the project will help lessen dependence on   oil   for   power   generation and accommodate 4,500 training, temporary and permanent jobs for Saudis. The Fadhili project will process gas from onshore and offshore fields. Saudi Aramco says the Fadhili project will increase the kingdom's natural gas production to 17 billion standard cubic feet per day by 2020, in line with the country's National Transformation Plan. The company says the deal was signed today with India's Larsen & Toubro, Saudi KAD, Saudi Electricity Company and France's Engie.

India's first private rocket set for launch in 2020 The first  private rocket  built by a consortium of private firms in the country is set for launch by 2020. If successful, this would increase capacity to hurl smallsatellites into space, meeting both local demand and serving global customers such as OneWeb. Till now, Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) was the only manufacturer of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). In the two decades since its debut launch, PSLVs have done 35 flights, hurling 86 satellites - including 45 foreign, small and medium  satellites  - into space. Isro built this rocket by integrating components and systems made by Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL), Larsen & Toubro, Godrej Aerospace, Avasarala Technologies and Walchandnagar Industries. However,  Isro  has been able to scale up production only up to a limit - it has the capacity to launch six PSLVs a year, compared to two a few years earlier. In the...