- After nationalization of the Oil Sector, initially these 3 refineries operated as separate entities, until the re-organization of the Oil Sector in 1980 with the creation of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), a state-owned entity responsible for Kuwait’s hydrocarbon interests throughout the world. KPC operated through a series of specialized subsidiaries in Kuwait and across the world. Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) is the subsidiary responsible for the entire domestic Crude Oil Refining and Gas Processing activities along with fuels retailing for the local market in Kuwait. The Gas Plant has a total capacity of 1680 MMSCF per Day (560 x 3 Trains) to process sweet associated gas & condensate from the crude production. In addition, KNPC also owns and operates Acid Gas Processing Plants to sweeten the sour associated gas prior to its feeding the Gas Plant.
- All 3 refineries underwent major modernizationand expansion as summarized later on and hasnow a total capacity of around 936,000 barrels/day. Having been located close to each other, the modernization also addressed the operation of these refineries as one integrated complex with extensiveinter transfer facilities for feed and product streams movements for optimization. The refining complex in Kuwait is the most advanced one in the Middle East with the state of the art processes and facilities. Shuaiba Refinery after its modernization in mid 70s, was the first all hydrogen refinery in the world. While Mina Al-Ahmadi Refinery is one of the largest capacity single refinery in the world, Mina Abdulla Refinery was modernized to achieve deep conversion with zero percent fuel oil yield.
- KNPC Refining complex includes a • total of 4 Hydrocrackers (for Vacuum Gas Oil feed as well as for Vacuum Residue), Delayed Cokers (the only Cokers in the entire GCC), Fluid Catalytic Cracker and an array of Hydro Desulfurization units for the distillates and residues.
- During the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and subsequent liberation war, severe damage to refinery facilities were caused, this was at a time the modernization of the entire complex was just stabilized. From 1991 till mid 90s the activities involved the restoration of the damage which was successfully accomplished.
- Subsequently, a major effort for augmenting Gasoline production facilities, involving expansion of FCCU capacity, building new Alkylation, Acid Re-generation and MTBE units as well as a superfractionator for Propylene/Propane separation was undertaken and completed.
- The refining complex essentially is an export oriented one, with about 80% of the products sold to international markets. The product exports are handled by another subsidiary, KPC-International Marketing. For product exports, KNPC have elaborate marine facilities (4 Oil Piers and a Sea Island) for the product export as well as dry cargo berths for Coke and Sulfur exports.
KPC’s Long Term Strategic Plan for the Oil Sector
- KPC had put in place in 2001, a long term Strategic Plan 2020 for the Oil industry and the industry development plans are focused on achieving the strategic directions set in this Strategic Plan.
Expansion and business growth of downstream domestic refining (KNPC activities) are being carried out fully aligned to these strategic directions.
- There is also an elaborate Balanced Scorecard based Performance Management system across KPC and its subsidiaries to monitor strategic progress and also to form the basis for providing objective incentives to the employees
Major collaborations with partners or joint ventures
KNPC is a National Company and as a subsidiary of KPC which is 100% owned by the Government of Kuwait. Our collaboration includes building facilities to supply Ethane feedstock to Olefin Project (Equate-1, a joint company between PIC ( Petrochemical Industries Co), a subsidiary of KPC and Dow Chemicals.
KNPC is a joint venture partner (40%) with PIC in the Kuwait Aromatics Project (KARO) through which two onpurpose subsidiaries KPPC and TKSC for the production of PX & BZ and Styrene Monomer
Overview of the range of products and services of the Company
KNPC refining complex produces products to meet the international market specifications.
The range of products include all traditional fuels
