Oil expert Kamel Al-Harami has confirmed that Kuwait is well-positioned to satisfy the increasing global demand for low-sulfur fuel oil, thanks to significant surpluses from its three main refineries: Some of the related organization include Al-Zour, Al-Ahmadi and Mina Abdullah. This is so stated at a time the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is said to have experienced a sharply declining supply of Russian reformed oil as the demand for this type of fuel continues to soar.
Al-Harami said Kuwait sources indicate Saudi Arabian imports of more than 180,000t LSCO in July. This situation was a clear indication that there is need to source for other low sulfur fuel oil since Russian supplies are declining. In an effort to supply this demand the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) has been increasing the output it produces from the Al-Zour refinery causing an oversupply.
First, it was decided to supply 30 per cent of Al-Zour’s production to Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity and Water. However, the Ministry decided to employ more inexpensive imported gas; as a result, Kuwait has excess low-sulfur fuel oil that can be performed in Saudi Arabia. This strategic decision has helped Kuwait formulate a way of donating excess production to the global market. Altogether, the Kuwait’s refineries produce low-sulfur fuel oil between 10 to 15 percent total of the refined products.
The official start of the Al-Zour refinery on May 29 added more strength to Kuwait in meeting the global markets’ demands of petroleum derivatives. The short supply of fuel oil from Russia has therefore helped boost the Saudi Arabia’s imports of the fuel from Kuwait. For this reason Kuwait increased its exports of fuel oil, diesel and jet fuel to Europe, Asia and India, fivefold.
Also, Kuwait refining abroad such as Nghi Son Refinery in Vietnam, Milazzo Refinery in Italy, and Duqm Refinery in Oman strengthens the apparently Kuwait ability to handle the increasing demand for oil derivatives in the international markets. The mentioned expansion strategy will put Kuwait in a position to reap huge profits while continuing being a dominant force in the global energy market in the future periods.
