Kuwait’s Al-Zour Refinery Achieves Top 10 Global Ranking with 615,000 bpd Capacity

Kuwait’s Al-Zour Refinery, has reached its favorable position enjoying the status of eighth oil refinery out of the ten best oil refineries in the world. This ranking unveiled on the 18th of August, 2024, puts into relief the refinery’s production capacity of 615,000 bpd while the country’s share is 8. 54 percent to the total output of the world’s leading refineries, which in toto handle 7. Some 197 million barrels of crude oil per day.

The refinery which started in 2022 ranks it among the youngest refineries globally, but it is the only refinery to make it from the Gulf and Arab region among the top ten. A report from GlobalData, using data from Offshore, Technology, claimed that Al-Zour Refinery is operated by a Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company (KIPIC) and the refinery has scored 7. This is based on 1 on the net refining index.

Specialized to handle the sour crude oil, Al-Zour Refinery furnishes a range of high yield derivatives and thereby improves the refining capacity of Kuwait. This advancement made Kuwait as a dominant player in the regional as well as in the international oil market. As of the end of 2022, the global refining segment that now comprises 825 operable refineries, is predicted to grow significantly over the period from 2023 unto 2027, with CDU capacity expansion recording an estimated 15 percent.

The top ten refineries by CDU capacity, as compiled in the 2022 GlobalData refinery database, include:The top ten refineries by CDU capacity, as compiled in the 2022 GlobalData refinery database, include:

1. Paraguana Refinery, Venezuela – 955,000 bpd, established in 1949.
2. Ulsan Refinery, South Korea – 840,000 bpd, established in 1964.
3. Ruwais Refinery, UAE – 800,000 bpd, established in 1969.
4. Daoshan Island Refinery, China – 800,000 bpd, established in 2019.
5. Jamnagar Refinery II, India – 707,000 bpd, built in 2008.
6. Jamnagar Refinery I, India – 660,000 bpd, started in 1999.
7. Port Arthur Refinery II, USA – 635,000 bpd, built in 1903.
8. Al-Zour Refinery, Kuwait – 615,000 bpd, fully operational in 2022.
9. Texas City Refinery III, USA – 593,000 bpd, built in 1934.
10. Gurun Island Refinery I, Singapore – 592,000 bpd, built in 1966.