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(KIPIC) Kuwait: Successfully and safely completed the operation of the third and final Al-Zour refinery units

03-12-2023

The Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company (KIPIC) announced today, Sunday, the successful and safe completion of the operation of the third and final Al-Zour Refinery units in the Al-Zour Petroleum Complex, achieving a historic achievement added to its record of successes. KIPIC said in a press statement that it has thus achieved one of the most important goals of the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation and its companies’ 2040 strategy in reaching the maximum refining capacity of the refinery, which amounts to 615 thousand barrels per day. She stated that the operation of the Al-Zour refinery is a continuation of the implementation of one of the most important axes of the work of the Government of the State of Kuwait’s development program, as the project will contribute to enhancing the productive capabilities of the oil and gas sector in the country, providing more job opportunities for Kuwaiti citizens, and supporting the national economy. She explained that the refinery represents a milestone in the company’s journey, which has undergone an unprecedented experience in implementing this huge project at the local and global levels, as the Al-Zour refinery is considered the largest refining facility in the world to be built in one phase and was ranked seventh globally on the list of the 10 largest oil refineries in the world by Global Refining Survey Report. The statement quoted the company's CEO, Walid Al-Badr, as saying, "We dedicate this great national achievement to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, may God protect and protect them and the honorable Kuwaiti people." Al-Badr stated that the completion of the operation of the third refinery comes as a culmination of years of hard work by all employees of the company and is considered a strategic achievement for the State of Kuwait and for the oil sector in particular, given the large and pivotal role assigned to it in shaping the future of Kuwait’s oil industry. He added that the third refinery was operated successfully and safely with national assistance and according to the established plan, and that it will increase the refinery’s production capacity from 410 to 615 thousand barrels per day of Kuwaiti oil for export (KEC). He pointed out that successes continued in supplying energy production stations affiliated with the Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy in the south and north of the country with low-sulfur fuel oil, stressing KIPIC’s strong keenness to preserve the environment of the State of Kuwait, reduce the percentage of sulfur emissions and raise air quality. Al-Badr stressed that the Al-Zour refinery project is considered one of the huge projects implemented worldwide and was implemented through five packages by alliances of international contractors. For his part, Executive Vice President of Al-Zour Refinery Operations, Ali Al-Ajmi, said that Al-Zour Refinery achieved a large and successive set of successes, as it began commercial operation of the first refinery in November 2022, and a number of commercial shipments of kerosene, petrochemical naphtha, and high-quality jet fuel were exported, as well as low-sulfur fuel oil and low-diesel. Very sulfurized to global markets. Al-Ajmi added that the company achieved a breakthrough at the local level, as the first and largest shipment of advanced low-sulfur diesel was exported to the European market, which strengthened the position of Al-Zour Refinery as a major provider of sustainable supplies of petroleum products to the global Asian and European markets. Al-Ajmi praised all the great efforts made by all the work teams at Al-Zour Refinery to achieve this historic achievement, stressing that it is the result of the efforts of the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation and its associate companies, as well as the solidarity of all workers at (KIPIC). Al-Ajmi added that this achievement reflects the determination to move forward towards shaping a better future for future generations and constitutes an impetus for completing the remaining projects of the Al-Zour Oil Complex by completing the study of the integrated petrochemical project to achieve the vision of (KIPIC) for integration.