Kuwait is boosting its oil production at a pace faster than originally planned.
Oil Minister Homoud Al-Rqobah told OPEC News Agency (Opecna) oil flow has climbed to 1.08 million b/d, and production is "shooting upward."
Al-Rqobah said 900,000 b/d were produced in Kuwait. The rest came from the Neutral Zone, where production is shared 50-50 with Saudi Arabia.
Kuwait aims to produce 1.5 million b/d by yearend (OGJ, June 16, p. 32).
It currently has 230 wells on production or ready for production.
Al-Rqobah noted that 727 oil well fires had been extinguished in the 8 months after the Persian Gulf crisis ended last year. The wells, sabotaged by Iraqi invaders, had been burning crude worth $100 million/day.
Kuwait Oil Co. (KOC) has surveyed all wells, set up a drilling plan for 1991-92, and prepared 73 drillsites in Burgan, Maqwaa, and Ahmadi fields.
Cleanup of petroleum lakes formed by spewing wells is a priority, Al-Rqobah told Opecna. The job is hampered by salt sediments created when well fires were doused with seawater.
During the Persian Gulf war, 10 of 26 gathering centers, along with 21 storage tanks, were knocked out, leaving the country with only 50% of its previous crude handling capacity. Now, seven gathering centers are on stream with one or two more expected to be added soon.
Ahmed Al-Arbied, KOC deputy managing director for planning and financial affairs, told Opecna the extent of damage to oil reservoirs as a result of well blowouts caused by sabotage is not known. Five companies are conducting studies of possible damage.
Noting that smaller oil fields could be surveyed faster, he said the first studies will be finished this year. However, some larger fields such as Burgan will not be completely studied until 1994.
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