KUWAIT, Oct 19 (KUNA) -- Chairman and Managing Director of Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) Sami Al-Rushaid opened the company's natural gas refinery at Al-Managish oilfield , west Kuwait, on Tuesday.
The daily output capacity of the facility ranges between 40-60 million cubic feet, Al-Rushaid told KUNA.
"The inauguration of the facility signals the achievement of one of the main targets of the company's strategy namely to curb the burning of the oil-associated gas.
"This project, which follows the world's latest acid gas removing technology, will definitely have a remarkable positive impact on the country's environment and economy," he affirmed.
The liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), to be refined at Al-Managish facility, will be pumped to KOC's two gas stations at Burgan oilfield for further treatment," he noted "The LNG produced from western oilfields contains a high rate of acid which prompted KOC to initiate this project and encourages research initiatives in this domain," Al-Rushaid explained.
"In the past we used to burn the oil-associated gas in the western fields. The ratio of burned gas exceeded 40 percent five years ago. The burning has had negative impacts on both environment and economy," he pointed out.
Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) - an umbrella entity controlling the country's state-owned oil companies including KOC - initiated a plat to liquefy acid gases four years ago.
"The plant, together with the newly launched facility, will bring the rate of gas burning down to four percent.
"We'll pursue our efforts to bring the rate to just one percent nationwide, " Al-Rushaid pledged.
KOC has come close to the gas burning target at some locations such as Burgan oilfield, the largest oil producing field in southeast Kuwait, where the rate of gas burning dropped dramatically to 0.2 percent; the daily output of the field amounts to 1.7 million barrels, he noted.
The national average of gas burning dropped to 2.6 percent last year while the current year target is projected at 2.3 percent, he went on to say.
Regarding the future projects, he said: "KOC plans to open a new oil storage unit, following the early production facility (EPF) system, in north Kuwait within the coming two weeks." "The installed capacity of the unit amounts to 120,000 barrels of crude oil a day," Al-Rusaid disclosed.
Al-Managish Oilfield was discovered by KOC the British Petroleum (BP) and Gulf Oil in western Kuwait in 1959. - Kuna