S04 ORME 6 2016 - Analysis 1_Layout 1 19/08/2016 08:01 Page 12

 Kuwait

Moving ahead to

boost production Ghadeer Al-Qadfaan, manager marketing planning at Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), discusses the NOC’s plans and operations. What are the key projects KPC is planning and progressing? Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), a subsidiary of KPC, is handling the exploration and production of crude oil and gas within Kuwait, and has initiated huge projects to augment light oil (Light Oil blending facility, and three Jurassic Oil processing facilities) and heavy oil production capability (Lower Fars blending facility), in addition to four new gathering centres, in order to increase Kuwait’s crude oil and gas production towards the aspired production target of 3.5mn bpd by 2021. What is the status of the new oil refinery and Clean Fuel project? The new refinery project (Al-Zour Refinery) consists of three mini-refineries, which will commission in July, September and November 2019. As for the Clean Fuel Project (CFP), it is expected to commission by October 2018. (The Clean Fuel project involves the upgrading and integration of the Mina Al Ahmadi and Mina Abdulla refineres, increasing combined capacity from 736,000 bpd to 800,000 bpd). To what extent has the low oil price affected KPC’s development plans, and have you adopted any particular measures to address this? Despite the prevailing low oil prices and the challenging market environment, KPC has and will go onward with the planned projects as mentioned above to enhance its upstream and downstream capabilities, and to ensure it meets its clients’ needs in the optimum manner. Hence KPC always aims to maintain its presence in the market, and will expand in the near future to offer improved product slates to the market. Nevertheless, KPC has taken serious measures to control its expenditure, in line with most of the NOCs and IOCs, to absorb the negative effect of the current market situation, while maintaining KPC standards and the welfare of its employees.

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Issue 6 2016

The marketing departmentn of KPC; Ghadeer Al-Qadfaan is standing far left

KPC has taken serious measures to control its expenditure, in line with most of the NOCs and IOCs” How are you looking to encourage further international collaboration in Kuwait’s oil and gas sector? KPC and its subsidiaries always try to engage international expertise and specialised entities across oil sector studies/projects, in order to ensure the adoption of the latest technologies across our operations. Furthermore, the majority of oil sector mega projects have been developed with the participation of elite international companies who are selected through a comprehensive selection process. How is KPC attracting and developing the next generation of oil and gas leaders? One of KPC’s most important values is that our employees are our most valuable

assets, hence KPC capitalises on and invests in its employees by enrolling them in training courses internally or abroad in distinguished international training firms. Also, KPC management has always promoted a competitive working environment and encouraged on the job training across KPC and offers attachment programmes with major oil companies, as well as engaging future leaders in the decision-making process. How is KPC encouraging more involvement of women in Kuwait's oil and gas industry? KPC has always invested in talented employees, irrespective of their gender. KPC and its subsidiaries give all talented employees the chance to compete and to reach the highest grades and ranks. There are many distinguished examples such as Hosnia Hashem (V-P Operations at KUFPEC), and Sara Akbar (former manager in KOC and KUFPEC), along with many others. I believe that KPC has succeeded in creating a healthy work environment that nourishes talent and facilitates competition with gender equality. n