Vietnam refinery up and running in July: KPI
100 gas stations powered by solar energy: KNPC
Kuwait’s Vietnam Refinery will begin operating in July with a capacity of 2,000 barrels per day (BPD), CEO of Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI) Bakheet Al-Rashidi said yesterday. In a statement to the press on the sidelines of the third Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Energy Strategy Forum, Rashidi noted that KPI is currently testing the refinery’s equipment before activating the main units.
Moreover, he added that the project is part of the company’s efforts to look into lucrative investments to boost its revenue and lure the global refining industry to do business with the company. On the status of KPI, Rashidi said that the company is a powerhouse in Europe, where it distributes around 450,000 BPD. The forum will feature discussions over developments in the global market and its effects on Gulf nations, while aiming to promote regional investment in the energy sector.
In the meantime, Kuwait National Petroleum Company plans to build 100 gas stations in the next five years to be operated by solar power, a KNPC official said Tuesday. Shukri Al-Mahrous, Deputy Chief Executive Office for Planning and Local Marketing, said KNPC’s five-year plan included construction of these stations and development of new ones to shift them to solar power.
Speaking on sidelines of a seminar, Mahrous said renewable energy projects would honor vision of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah which called for providing 15 percent of Kuwait’s electricity needs from renewable energy by the year 2030.
He said Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), the parent company of state-owned oil companies, sought to achieve this vision by the year 2020. He said renewable energy was already used in the gas stations in the areas of Riqqa and Zahraa. KNPC has 45 locations in which solar projects were held, including in refineries and head office, he noted. — KUNA