Kuwaiti state refiner KNPC aims to invite bids in May for the long-delayed 615,000 b/d Al-Zour refinery. This would continue Kuwait’s remarkable downstream revival since ‘Ali al-’Umair was appointed Oil Minister in December. KNPC recently announced $12bn worth of contracts for a clean fuels project at 466,000 b/d Mina al-Ahmadi and 270,000 b/d Mina ‘Abd Allah refineries (MEES, 14 February), which like al-Zour has been delayed by politics and bureaucracy (MEES, 21 February).
Nizar al-Adsani, CEO of KNPC parent KPC estimates Al-Zour project to cost $15bn. KNPC aims to choose an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor by end-2014 with a deal signed in early 2015 and project completion in 2018-21. Al-Zour and the clean fuels project – which would expand combined capacity of the upgraded plants to 800,000 b/d – will take Kuwait’s refining capacity to 1.415mn b/d. The aging 200,000 b/d Shuiaba refinery will be closed. (CONTINUED - 444 WORDS)
