Kuwaiti Mina Abdullah Refinery Units In Maintenance To June 8

Kuwait started planned maintenance in mid-April for different units at its 270,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Mina Abdullah refinery that will end on June 8, a Kuwaiti oil official said on Wednesday.

The refinery will also undergo a second round of maintenance for 45 days starting March 1 next year, Hamoud al-Rasheed, head of planning at the refinery said in a news conference.

The units in maintenance in April and May are desulfurization 2, hydrogen production 3, vacuum distillation 1, hydrogen processing unit for diesel and naphtha, and coker unit 1.

Kuwait also plans a total shutdown of Mina Abdullah in November 2016 for two weeks, Fayez al-Khazam, the refinery’s maintenance coordinator, said at the same conference.

The total shutdown is part of an upgrade project called the Clean Fuels Project, to expand and modernise Kuwait’s refineries with a focus on producing high-grade products such as diesel fuel and kerosene for exports.

Under the project, which will be completed between 2018 and 2022, Mina Abdullah’s capacity will rise to 454,000 bpd from 270,000 bpd currently.

OPEC member Kuwait has three refineries with a combined capacity of 930,000 bpd.