An official of Kuwait Oil Co. (KOC) and Getty Oil Co. joint operations estimates the cost of restoring Kuwait's sabotaged oil and gas fields will surpass $2 billion.
To help recoup costs, KOC will sell about $600 million of firefighting equipment purchased for its well control campaign.
Of Kuwait's 930 wells, fleeing Iraqi soldiers last February left 181 producing, 648 afire, and 101 blowing out. Of the 355 wells in the Neutral Zone between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, 55 escaped damage, six were left burning, 52 were blowing out, and 242 were damaged but not flowing.
The KOC-Getty official said costs of firefighting and well control operations exceeded $1 billion. Each well cost an average $1.6 million to control, including excavation of 312 strategically located, 1 million gal water pits and $17,000-30,000/day fees for 33 firefighting teams.
About half of Kuwait's damaged wells can be repaired, 10% will have to be abandoned, and 40% will require extensive repairs before being returned to production.
KOC plans called for 24 newly drilled wells producing by yearend 1991. Another 76 wells are to be drilled by July 1992, when production is expected to be restored to about 800,000 b/d.
The KOC official estimated damaged Kuwaiti wells lost about 6 million b/d of oil.
Copyright 1992 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.
