Kuwait's Al-Zour refinery hits full capacity for first time

Kwauit's Al-Zour refinery reached full capacity production of 615,000 b/d on Feb. 4, marking four years since test runs began in 2020 to create the Middle East's biggest refinery.

Output has climbed rapidly since maintenance at two of the units was completed since January, when production was only 330,000 b/d on Jan. 24. Commercial operations began in November 2022.

"Through this historic achievement, we look forward to opening horizons for cooperation with international companies and enhancing investor confidence in the energy sector in Kuwait, which will pave the way for a better future for future generations," spokesman Abdullah al-Ajmi told S&P Global Commodity Insights.

The refinery has already exported commercial shipments of kerosene, naphtha, high-quality jet fuel, fuel oil, diesel and low sulfur products to global markets, he said.

Al-Zour is owned by Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Co., a subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Corp. Maintenance at the last of six atmospheric residue desulfurization units has been completed, Ajmi said.

The refinery came to a near-complete halt after a sudden loss of fuel gas supplies due to a malfunction in one of the main valves, the company said Nov. 12. That malfunction was followed by a fire on Nov. 16. Al-Zour was initially expected to come online by the end of 2021 but was extended to 2022.

The plant is designed to process various types of Kuwaiti crude, including Kuwait Heavy Crude. It has three CDUs, each with a capacity of 205,000 b/d.

Kuwait exported about 750,000 b/d of refined products in January, more than half of the 1.3 million b/d of crude oil and condensates shipped during the month, according to S&P Global Commodities at Sea. Its crude production was 2.55 million b/d in December, making it the fifth-largest OPEC producer after Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran and the UAE, according to the latest Platts survey by S&P Global.