A refinery in Kuwait City
Kuwait takes next step in Gulf refining expansion
Middle Eastern NOCs have turned to the downstream to take greater control over the global supply chain
State-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) has—after lengthy delays—completed one of two $15bn+ programmes designed to more than double the country’s refining capacity. KPC’s downstream-focused Kuwait National Petroleum Corp (KNPC) subsidiary finished work earlier in June on a new 70,000bl/d hydrocracking unit, expanding capacity to 454,000bl/d at the Mina Abdullah refinery. The new facility—hydrocracking unit 114—will produce low-sulphur diesel and kerosene to meet European standards. With this, it achieved mechanical completion a month ahead of schedule on the Clean Fuels Project (CFP), a $15.7bn programme to upgrade and expand the Mina Abdullah and Mina al-Ahmadi refineries to a combi
Also in this section
4 December 2025
Time is running out for Lukoil and Rosneft to divest international assets that will be mostly rendered useless to them when the US sanctions deadline arrives in mid-December
3 December 2025
Aramco’s pursuit of $30b in US gas partnerships marks a strategic pivot. The US gains capital and certainty; Saudi Arabia gains access, flexibility and a new export future
2 December 2025
The interplay between OPEC+, China and the US will define oil markets throughout 2026
1 December 2025
The North African producer’s first bidding round in almost two decades is an important milestone but the recent extension suggests a degree of trepidation
