Stepping it up: Kuwait to pump extra 50,000 barrels per day
Kuwait pumps up the gas
New gas fields in Kuwait will pump 50,000 barrels per day of light crude and condensate in coming days, state oil firm Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) said today.
The country began much-delayed gas output from the northern fields yesterday, with gas output initially scheduled to start in December.
Kuwait needs the gas to meet soaring demand from power plants and industry.
Gas output started at 20 million cubic feet per day and will reach 175 million cubic feet per day in coming days, said KOC.
While the fields produce some oil, they are mostly gas reservoirs.
The country aims to boost gas output from the fields to a billion cubic feet per day by 2015.
Oil Minister Mohammad al-Olaim said on Tuesday even with the new gas output, Kuwait would still need to import more to meet its needs.
Kuwait is in negotiations with Qatar to import liquefied natural gas.
It plans to begin imports next year during summer months to meet peak power demand for air conditioning.
The country has also said it was considering gas imports from Iran and Iraq.
In March 2006, Kuwait said it had found an estimated 35 trillion cubic feet of non-associated gas along with large amounts of condensates in the north of the country.