Al-Zour International Refinery Project in southern Kuwait
The new Al-Zour refinery in the south of the State of Kuwait is one of the most important strategic initiatives of the Kuwait National Petroleum Company (a company of the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation) and the largest global projects to build a new oil refinery, with the aim of expanding the refining capacity of refineries in the State of Kuwait, where its refining capacity will reach 615 thousand barrels per day.
The new Al-Zour refinery is located in Al-Zour, about 90 km south of Kuwait City, and it is bordered on the eastern side by Al-Zour Power Station, with a total area of approximately 16 km 2, and it is distributed as follows: Industrial facilities have an area of about 9 km 2. The safety area is approximately 3.6 km2. The tracks of the Ministry of Electricity and Water and the Kuwait Oil Company lines are approximately 2.4 km2. The buildings complex has an area of approximately one square kilometer. But The campus has an area of about 0.35 km2. And the refinery has been designed to refine various types of Kuwaiti crude oil, as it provided full flexibility for the refinery to refine 615 thousand barrels per day of Kuwaiti crude oil for export or refining 535 thousand barrels per day from a mixture of heavy Kuwaiti oils with crude oil for export. The units have been designed and planned based on a special study to assess the risks and environmental impact assessment studies to choose the most suitable sites for building the units. The refinery includes the largest complex of residual oil desulfurization units from the ARDS air distillation unit in the world, as it has a hydrogen treatment unit for diesel that removes wax materials and produces a high-quality diesel with a very low sulfur content, according to future European specifications. This is in addition to enjoying a closed circuit water cooling system that is easy to apply and control heat, and the materials used reduce its exposure to corrosion.
And the latest technologies of the Field Bus Foundation digital network control will be applied throughout the refinery for the first time in the history of the Kuwait National Petroleum Company and is considered to be highly efficient in diagnosing holidays through the rapid self-identification feature as it allows the implementation of amendments in the future in an easier way without reference to rooms control. Thus, the design of the refinery was made according to the latest technological specifications and equipment, where the electrical network system for monitoring will be applied And ENMC controls for the first time in KNPC in order to achieve the best management, monitoring, analysis and reporting. Almost all water residues used in the refinery resulting from refining operations will be recycled and used by applying a zero-drainage technology (ZLD), and the storage capacity will be 6.5 million barrels of low-sulfur oil fuel used to maintain a strategic fuel reserve in different seasons and needs. Also, there is more than one highly effective sulfur recovery unit which is designed to maintain stable production processes and provide the required environmental level. There are permanent systems for monitoring emissions in high-capacity combustion equipment, and a system for permanent monitoring of ambient air quality. The new Al-Zour refinery is characterized by smoke-free burners and low noise, in addition to the presence of export facilities for solid materials and an industrial island for liquid products.
The main aims of the project
- Providing a continuous and safe source to cover the needs of the Ministry of Electricity and Water in Kuwait, which amounts to 225 thousand barrels per day, from a fuel oil product with a low sulfur content (less than 1 percent).
- Production of 340,000 barrels per day of high-quality petroleum products, in conformity with international specifications, with a view to exporting to world markets..
- Alignment with one of the environmental goals in the State of Kuwait regarding improving air quality by reducing sulfur oxide emissions from power plants, where the emission rate will decrease by 75 percent from the current situation.
- Refining Kuwaiti heavy crude oil with the aim of increasing economic returns, especially when implementing the second phase of the project through the production of high-quality petroleum products in the future.
- An alternative insurance for the Shuaiba refinery after its closure in terms of providing high-quality petroleum products.
- Positive and effective contribution to the economy of the State of Kuwait by contributing to the development plan and activating the role of the private sector by creating job opportunities in supportive businesses in the implementation and operation phases of the project.
- Adding investment attraction factors to the areas adjacent to the project for their economic advancement.
- Create new job opportunities for national employment.
The project is one of the largest global oil refining projects with a total capacity of 615 thousand barrels per day, and will contribute to increasing the refining capacity from 936 thousand barrels to 1.4 million barrels per day to meet the growing demand for fuel oil products with low sulfur content. The strategic importance of the Al-Zour refinery stems not only in its size, but also because it will feed with low-sulfur content (less than 1%) power plants in the State of Kuwait, which is a very important fuel for the environment, and will make the company's refineries a great edifice that achieves the strategy of the refining sector within a strategy Kuwait Petroleum Corporation. In addition to fuel oil which will be provided by the new refinery to power plants, it will also be able to produce high-quality petroleum products with low sulfur content, which opens up important export outlets in the global markets. Thus, the refinery will provide a safe and stable source to cover the needs of the Ministry of Electricity and Water for low-sulfur fuel oil (less than 1%) and the amount of 225 thousand barrels in order to generate energy and achieve the environmental goals of Kuwait in improving air quality by reducing emissions of sulfur oxides, in addition to refining various types of Kuwaiti oil, especially Kuwaiti heavy oil and eosin crude oil and the production of 340 thousand barrels per day of high-quality petroleum products that conform to export specifications Global and providing job opportunities for Kuwaitis and promoting the development of the national economy.
The project will produce new products that match the European markets so that the company can open new markets for products in Europe, in addition to developing the oil industry in Kuwait and subsequent industries.
The project was divided into five packages, in addition to the contract to rehabilitate the Al-Zour refinery land, where the five project packages were distributed to four global alliances, as follows:
- The first package (major manufacturing units), is implemented by the alliance that includes the following companies: Spanish Technicas Reunidas, Chinese Sinopec, Hanwha South Korea
- The second and third packages (support units and infrastructure services units). The alliance includes: Fluor British Company, South Korean Hyundai, Daewoo South Korean
- The fourth package (tank hangars and systems), and includes the alliance: The Italian Saipem, the Indian Essar.
- For the fifth package (marine export facilities), the alliance represents: South Korean Hyundai, Saipem French, South Korean SK.
- In addition to carrying out preliminary work for the project land within a separate contract with the Dutch company Van Oord
On the environmental side of the project, and in the interest of all parties involved in the project on the marine environment, especially drilling and burial operations in the project, studies and marine surveys have been carried out to establish marine settlements to compensate for the bottom environments where the subject receives the attention of KNPC. Also, from the beginning of the project and the design period, it was taken into account that the construction works were not causing the slightest impact on marine organisms, and therefore the best construction techniques were applied in order to protect the marine environment while adhering to the standards, regulations and regulations adopted by the Environmental Public Authority (Environmental Protection Law 42/2014) as integrated environmental studies were also carried out under the supervision of the General Environment Authority, where the studies included focusing on the factors affecting the surrounding environment where measurements of gas concentrations in the atmosphere are taken and seawater quality is monitored daily, monthly and seasonally, as well as continuous monitoring of air quality, noise and vibrations, and the rate Cumulative soil, in addition to solid and liquid waste management "sanitation" in all project sites during the various stages of the project and sending periodic reports to the General Environment Authority. All these works were carried out under the supervision of the General Authority for the Environment, the consultant of the approved contractor and the project consultant, And, the marine monitoring and control is constantly being monitored within the framework of an environmental monitoring program under the supervision of the Environmental Public Authority. The ecological survey has also been used by diving periodically to monitor any changes and ensure the abundance of marine organisms, and will be taken into account to reduce the volume of marine works to the minimum possible during the period of marine life proliferation and the initial stages of development, in addition to strengthening the presence of the information system to manage environmental data in the project, which It works through the available environmental monitoring data and in constant contact with the concerned authorities. Reports are also submitted to the Environment Public Authority for regular review and recommendations.
The huge project depend on the most advanced refining technologies, which will be led by a promising, efficient and trained Kuwaiti generation, and it will enhance the capabilities of Kuwaiti youth, which have always been given due care by the national oil, as much as possible .The project also provides a large amount of job opportunities for these young people in addition to major investment opportunities for the private sector, which It will, in turn, contribute to supporting the economic development and prosperity of the country.