KNPC operates flare gas recovery unit at Mina Abdullah

KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah chairs the 118th Supreme Petroleum Council’s meeting. — KUNA

KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah presided over the 118th Supreme Petroleum Council meeting at Seif Palace yesterday. The Council discussed the items on its agenda.

In other news, Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) yesterday started full operation of the flare gas recovery unit 49 at the Mina Abdullah Refinery (MAB). Construction of the facility began in August 2014, with a budget of KD 21.63 million ($71.83 million), MAB's CEO Mutlaq Al-Azmi told a press conference. Work lasted for 3.08 million hours with no lost time accidents, he said. Azmi noted that the unit's design capacity is 10 million cubic feet of gas daily in the first phase of operation, and could be later raised to 15 million cubic feet per day.

The chief goal of the facility is to curb emissions, reducing the impact of the Refinery's operations on the environment. This is integral to KNPC's environmental and social role, as well as commitment to the relevant local and world standards, Azmi said. Unit 49 has advanced technology which will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 91.736 metric tons annually, he added.

Team Leader, Mechanical Maintenance, MAB, Mohmmad Al-Marzouq said meanwhile that the scope of work included building the entire facility, mainly comprising two compressors with other extensions, mechanical equipment and piping works. The unit will recover up to 10 million cubic feet of the hydrocarbon materials emitted from the Refinery. They will be recycled instead of being burnt in the open air, turning into burning fuel to use in heating operations at MAB, saving massive amounts of natural gas, Marzouq explained. Annual revenues are estimated at $5 million a year. - KUNA