Kuwait state refiner KNPC announced on 7 April the start-up of the last two units at Mina al-Ahmadi, one of two almost adjacent refineries being upgraded in a $12bn clean fuels project (CFP – see map, MEES, 10 April). KNPC chief executive Waleed al-Bader says CFP work on the Mina Abdullah refinery continues, according to state news agency Kuna. Mr Bader said the two units online were a 37,000 b/d coker and 8,400 b/d naphtha hydrotreater. Japan’s JGC, contractor for the Mina al-Ahmadi upgrade, was concerned that November 2018 flood damage might delay work, but said in February that it expected handover at the end of March. UK’s Petrofac, contractor along with US firm Fluor at Mina Abdullah, gives 2020 as the project end-date on its website (MEES, 21 February).
The CFP project will upgrade the two refineries to produce Euro 5 specification transport fuels and virtually eliminate fuel oil production. The CFP also includes expanding combined capacity of the refineries from 736,000 b/d to 801,000 b/d. Mina al-Ahmadi crude distillation capacity will be reduced from 466,000 b/d to 347,000 b/d, while that at Mina Abdullah will rise from 270,000 b/d to 454,000 b/d (MEES, 13 March). (CONTINUED - 191 WORDS)