Kuwait’s Clean Fuel Project (CFP) upgrade of the country’s two refineries appears to be proceeding steadily, although state refiner KNPC’s recent target of commercial operation by the end of 1Q20 will be missed. Japan’s JGC, contractor for work on the Mina al-Ahmadi refinery, said in a 13 February earnings call that “steady progress” is being made towards handover “this fiscal year” – that is by the end of March. Although JGC raised concerns over flood damage at the site in November 2018, the latest update suggests its prediction of CFP completion around October 2020 is still possible (MEES, 13 December 2019). UK’s Petrofac, like US firm Fluor a contractor on the Mina Abdullah work, gives the project end-date on its website as 2020.
The CFP involves upgrading its current 736,000 b/d of capacity, 466,000 b/d at Mina al-Ahmadi and 270,000 b/d at Mina Abdullah, to enable production of fuels to Euro V standards and the virtual elimination of fuel oil production. The project will also see combined throughput capacity raised to 801,000 b/d – 454,000 b/d at Mina Abdullah and 347,000 b/d at Mina al-Ahmadi (MEES, 8 March 2019). (CONTINUED - 184 WORDS)