KUWAIT: Kuwait petrochemical project study to be ready in Feb.

Kuwait is expected this month (Feb. 2016) to complete a study for the construction of a large petrochemical complex in the Southern Al-Zour region, where it is also building a giant oil refinery, a newspaper in the Gulf Emirate reported.

“The study for the petrochemicals project in Al-Zour is expected to be completed this month and is to be presented to the Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC),” the Arabic language daily Al-Rai said, quoting industry sources. It said the study would allow KNPC to decide whether to build a complex for the production of olefins, polypropylene or aromatics. It quoted the sources as saying designs for the USD 13-billion project would then be prepared and that the foreign partner in the project would be a South Korean or a Japanese company given their experience in petrochemicals projects.

The paper said the complex is part of a USD 30-billion venture, which also involves the construction of 615,000 b/d Al-Zour refinery and gas facilities.

The planned venture will be presented shortly to the supreme petroleum council, Kuwait’s highest hydrocarbon authority, for approval at its next meeting, it said, adding that the venture is called “Kuwait Petrochemicals and Refinery Company.”

Source: “Emirates24/7”, Dubai; 16 Feb 2016
(Syed Rashid Ali, Karachi, Pakistan)