The impact of Kuwait’s mammoth new LNG import terminal has swiftly been made clear. Shortly after the 22mn t/y Al Zour terminal received its first cargo in July, Kuwait’s LNG imports jumped to an all-time monthly record of 830,000 tons in August according to data intelligence firm Kpler (MEES, 3 September).

The ability to step up LNG imports beyond the capacity limitations of Kuwait’s other terminal – a 5.8mn t/y FSRU – is key for the emirate. Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) statistics show that Kuwait’s power plants burned a record 1.74bn cfd of natural gas in August, thanks primarily to heightened LNG imports. This was up by a massive 23% year-on-year from August 2020’s 1.42bn cfd. (CONTINUED - 692 WORDS)