OPEC oil producer Kuwait intends to fully commission its Al-Zour oil refinery in October after a third refining unit was completed, an official was quoted on Friday as saying.

The state-owned Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industry Company (KIPIC) manages the world’s seventh largest refinery, which will produce 615,000 barrels per day (bpd), said Abdullah Al-Ajami, Deputy CEO for Administrative and Commercial Affairs in KIPIC.

“Al-Zour refinery will be fully commissioned in October…we are currently taking the necessary measures to operate all units in the refinery,” Ajami told the Kuwaiti Arabic language daily Alqabas.

“Fully commissioning the refinery required great efforts as it comprises refining units and thousands of equipment…we have completed the first two units and will soon announce the operation of the third unit,” he said.

Al-Zour refinery was approved by Kuwait’s Supreme Petroleum Council in 2012 and work started on 2015, when several contracts worth more than $16 billion were awarded to a number of international firms.

(Writing by Nadim Kawach; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@lseg.com)

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