Kuwait expands global energy footprint with strategic oil & gas projects across five continents
KUFPEC drives energy growth despite European divestment, strengthening operations in Canada, Australia, and Southeast Asia with $736 million profits
Kuwait is strengthening its global energy presence through the Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC), executing strategic oil and gas projects across five continents — from Australia’s Wheatstone project to Canada’s Duvernay shale gas field, as well as key ventures in Asia, Africa, and Europe.
A recent KUFPEC report highlights Kuwait’s ongoing efforts to manage exploration assets in five core regions, starting with the Makhad area in Pakistan, where seismic data is currently being analyzed to guide drilling operations. In Indonesia, the company identified three potential fields and five additional prospects within the Amanah block, reports Al-Rai daily.
Initial findings suggest that one field in the Indonesian Amanah region holds estimated hydrocarbon resources of 46 million barrels of oil and 43 billion cubic feet of gas, with additional upside bringing total potential to 71 million barrels of oil. Encouraging signs of oil were also found during drilling in the Malati field, with surface oil and gas seeps indicating hydrocarbon potential in the Apuki-1 well and the broader Manuwi Basin.
In Egypt, KUFPEC has completed drilling two exploratory wells in Block 3 of the Mina concession in Alexandria. One of these, the Khufu well, is a deep-water, high-pressure, high-temperature project at a depth of 1,325 meters. The basin is believed to contain 223 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves across more than 126 fields.
Additionally, a new oil discovery was made in the Geisum and West Tawila concessions in the Gulf of Suez, where initial production has exceeded 2,500 barrels per day.
These developments contributed to a robust fiscal year for KUFPEC, with the company reporting net profits of over $736 million and achieving a daily production average of 76,200 barrels of oil equivalent.
Canadian Expansion and Increased Output
In Canada, KUFPEC ramped up daily production from the Duvernay shale gas project to 25,927 barrels per day by the end of the last fiscal year. The company also secured a major land acquisition in Alberta, ensuring operational continuity and license eligibility.
Moreover, Kuwait acquired two key exploration blocks through direct bidding in Indonesia: the South Sumatra block and the larger Amanah block in the Melati region—aligning with KUFPEC’s strategic goals in Southeast Asia.
Despite a production dip in Europe due to divestment in Norway, the company’s operations across Asia, Europe, and Africa averaged 16,632 barrels of oil equivalent per day.
In Australia, KUFPEC boosted the capacity of a local gas processing plant by 7%, reaching 210 million standard cubic feet per day. The WA49-L project progressed into its third development phase, with the company’s production share averaging 19,610 barrels per day. However, KUFPEC is now planning to divest from its operations in the Mutineer, Fletcher, and Finucane blocks.
Work also continues on the Kippo and Ferney project in Canada, yielding 19,891 barrels of oil equivalent per day. The project includes a 256-hectare land acquisition and the completion of 317 wells, with 299 already connected to production facilities. A pilot gas injection project showed improved condensate recovery, aligning with KUFPEC’s 2024 strategy.
KUFPEC maintains active operations in eight locations across Pakistan and Indonesia. In Pakistan, average production from the BAT and Badra gas fields totaled 2,405 barrels of oil equivalent per day, with additional contributions from the Kadanwari (284 bpd), Qadirpur (2,407 bpd), and Zamzama (45 bpd) fields.
In Indonesia, Kuwait is operating in four regions, with average production from the Sea Natuna A field reaching 5,301 barrels of oil equivalent per day. Joint offshore projects in the Shandar, West Desaru, and East Shandar fields contributed an additional 2,178 barrels per day.
Kuwait and its partners are also conducting studies on the SK4108 block and assessing the Anambas sector to support a final investment decision.
In Egypt, KUFPEC’s average production share stands at 4,011 barrels per day. The company is currently evaluating a newly discovered well west of Mina, northeast of Amriya in Alexandria Governorate, with plans to mature the project further this year.
