KPC's CEO Nizar Al-Adsani

KUWAIT: Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company (KIPIC) has announced that work at Al-Zour Refinery, one of the world's largest, is proceeding by leaps and bounds, saying that achievement rate in the project has hit 45 percent. The company staunchly denied delay in any of the Five Packages of the Refinery project, which is slated to be completed by the end of 2019, in line with schedule.

Prompted by the great importance of such projects, which are witnessing unprecedented acceleration of work, the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) and the Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company (KIPIC) Boards of Directors have paid a field visit to inspect work and check the achievement rate at Al-Zour Refinery's Five Packages, as well as the LNG Import Facilities.

KPC's CEO Nizar Al-Adsani hoped that the initial units of the Refinery would start operations, as planned, in May 2019. KIPIC's CEO Hashem Sayed Hashem said that the rate of achievement at Al-Zour Refinery has hit 45 percent, and 21 percent at the LNG Import Facilities.

This is not the first visit by the KPC's board to follow up progress and the advanced phases of work at KIPIC's projects, Adsani said. He voiced hope that the initial units at Al-Zour Refinery would be operated in May 2019. "These projects are part of KPC's 2030 Strategy to enhance growth in the refining and manufacturing sectors,"

Quantum shift

Zour Refinery is one of KPC's largest projects at present, and together with the Petrochemicals Complex (PRIZe), will lead to a quantum shift in transformative Industries to diversify sources of income. KIPIC is the first company in Kuwait to achieve refining-petrochemical integration, the KPC's CEO noted, hoping more companies would follow suit. Adsani said that such field visits offer KPC's board the opportunity to be up to date with progress of work, and to follow up readiness to operate the Refinery in 2019.

KIPIC's Chairman Hamza Bakhsh said that it was the third visit for the company's Board of Directors to the projects. "This is time it was a joint one with the KPC board, which gave us further support. In fact, success of such a tremendous sophisticated project is impossible without KPC backing," he stressed.

Hashem said that the visit to Al-Zour Complex included Al-Zour Refinery and the LNG import Facilities. "We have toured the five packages of the Refinery," he added, pointing out that despite challenges, "work is proceeding in line with schedule. It is one of the largest projects in the region and the world."  "We inspected work closely and saw progress on the ground. Hopefully, the achievement rate will continue so that the project can be completed on time," Hashem said.