The Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) released a statement on 2 January that crude production had been increased to a record high 3mn b/d at the start of the year. If accurate, this is not likely to be a figure that Kuwait could sustain. MEES figures show that Kuwait hasn’t achieved 3mn b/d production over a month since November 2012.
MEES estimates that Kuwaiti production held steady in December at 2.75mn b/d, the same level as in November, while Kuwait’s own figures have November production at 2.9mn b/d. KOC does not state where the increased production comes from, but the continued shut-in of the Partitioned Neutral Zone (PNZ) shared with Saudi Arabia has led Kuwait’s attention to focus on the Greater Burgan and the Lower Fars heavy oil field development [Ratga field] (MEES, 27 November 2015). However, current operations at Burgan are primarily aimed at maintaining production levels, while the first phase of the Lower Fars project is only slated to produce 60,000 b/d around 2018. (CONTINUED - 167 WORDS)
