Kuwait National Petroleum Company

State of Kuwait
Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC)
شركة البترول الوطنية الكويتية
	KNPC Headoffice
Agency overview
Headquarters	Al Ahmadi ; 29°5′34″N 48°5′14″E / 29.09278°N 48.08722°E;
Agency executive	Wadha Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Chief Executive Officer;
Parent agency	Kuwait Petroleum Corporation
Website	https://www.knpc.com

The Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) (Arabic: شركة البترول الوطنية الكويتية) is the national oil refining company of Kuwait. Established in October 1960, KNPC has the mandate for oil refining, gas liquefaction, and distribution of petroleum goods within the local market. KNPC also handles CFP (Clean Fuel project).

History

Established in October 1960 as a share-holding company owned by the Kuwait government and private sector, KNPC became fully government-owned in 1975. Since 1968 the company had been exporting petroleum products from its Shuaiba Refinery. In April 2017, Kuwait closed the Shuaiba refinery, which was one of the oldest oil facilities in the region. In 1980, following the restructuring of the oil sector in Kuwait, KNPC was placed under the newly created Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), which was also government owned. In this revised structure, KNPC took control of distributing petroleum products within Kuwait, along with the ownership of the Mina Ahmadi and Mina Abdullah refineries. On 20 March 2026, Iran sent drones that attacked and damaged units in the Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery, as part of the 2026 Iran war.

Refineries

Mina Abdullah Refinery: Built in 1958 by the American Independent Oil Company, Mina Abdullah was passed to the Kuwaiti state in 1975 and transferred to KNPC in 1978. Spanning 7,835,000 m², and located 46 km south of Kuwait City, Mina Abdullah is capable of refining 280,000 barrels per day (45,000 m³/d) (BPD).
Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery: Initially built in 1949, the refinery was handed over to KNPC in 1980. Spanning 10,534,000 m², it is located 40 km south of Kuwait City with a production capacity of 346—466,000 bbl/d (74,100 m³/d). In 2014 KNPC started the production of ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) at Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery.
Shuaiba Refinery: Built in 1966, Shuaiba Refinery was the first refinery in the region to be built by a national company. The refinery spanned 1,332,000 m² and was located 50 km south of Kuwait City within the Shuaiba Industrial Area. The refinery had a capacity of 200,000 bbl/d (32,000 m³/d). In March 2017 the refinery was shut down in order that its facilities could be repurposed for the country's Clean Fuels Project (CFP).
Al Zour Refinery: KNPC released plans to build a fourth refinery known as Al-Zour in 2006. In 2012 the plans were revamped because of the re-approval by the Supreme Petroleum Council of Kuwait. The refinery is expected to have a capacity of 615,000 bbl/d (97,800 m³/d), making it the largest refinery in the middle east. In May 2008, Kuwait National Petroleum Company awarded the four remaining EPC contracts: Process Package 1 was awarded to the Consortium of JGC Corporation and GS Engineering & Construction, Process Package 2 was awarded to SK Engineering & Construction, Storage Tanks Package was awarded to Daelim Industrial Company, Marine Works Package was awarded to Hyundai Engineering & Construction, and The Offsites & Utilities package was awarded to Fluor Corporation. Finally, the first phase of Al-Zour integrated refining and petrochemical complex has been commissioned in January 2023.

Recruitment

KNPC provides scholarships and training and sponsors refinery operation specialization at the College of Technological Studies of The Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET).

Merger

In April 2025, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) has announced the merger of The Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) with the Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company (KIPIC).

References

↑ Mary Ann Tétreault (1 January 1995). The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation and the Economics of the New World Order. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-89930-510-3. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
↑ "Resources and power". Britannica. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
1 2 3 "Kuwait National Petroleum Company". Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
↑ "Kuwait to close ageing Shuaiba refinery on April 1". Gulf Business. March 29, 2017. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
↑ "Mina Abdullah Refinery". Kuwait National Petroleum Company. Archived from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
↑ "Mina Al Ahmadi Refinery". Kuwait National Petroleum Company. Archived from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
1 2 Kennedy, Charles (20 March 2026). "Oil Inches Higher as Iran Strikes Kuwait's Mina Al-Ahmadi Refinery". OilPrice.com.
↑ "KNPC- Mina Abdulla Refinery - Phase 1". Oil & Gas News. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
↑ Axon, Anthony; Hewitt, Susan (9 December 2019). Kuwait 1975/76 – 2019. BRILL. p. 383. ISBN 9789004423817. Retrieved September 1, 2020. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
↑ Kuwait Country Study Guide Volume 1 Strategic Information ad Developments. Lulu.com. 20 March 2009. p. 263. ISBN 9781438727684. Retrieved October 5, 2020. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
↑ "Kuwait refinery explosion kills four". Oil & Gas Journal. June 26, 2000. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
↑ Wang, Henry K. H. (2017). Energy Markets in Emerging Economies: Strategies for growth. Routledge. p. 241. ISBN 9781134886920. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
↑ "Mina Al Ahmadi Refinery - Kuwait National Petroleum Company - Mina Al Ahmadi Refinery". Archived from the original on 2023-01-30. Retrieved 2025-11-26.
↑ "KNPC commissions new unit at Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery". Oil & Gas Journal. January 6, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
↑ "Kuwait shuts down Shuaiba refinery". www.theoilandgasyear.com. 31 March 2017. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
↑ "Al-Zour Refinery Project". NS Energy. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
↑ "KIPIC's Al-Zour Refinery Project". Total Energy Informatics. January 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
↑ "Kuwait's new Al-Zour refinery enters commercial operation". 9 January 2023.
↑ Sohail, Nida (2025-04-16). "Kuwait unites oil giants: Merger of KNPC, KIPIC begins". Retrieved 2025-04-21.
↑ "Kuwait Launches Merger of State Oil Firms KNPC and KIPIC". Offshore Engineer Magazine. 2025-04-15. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
↑ "Kuwait Oil Sector Strengthened by KNPC and KIPIC Merger". IndexBox. Retrieved 2025-04-21.

External links

Official Kuwait National Petroleum Company website
Projects Retrieved 7 June 2008

[1] Mary Ann Tétreault (1 January 1995). The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation and the Economics of the New World Order. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-89930-510-3. Retrieved 3 February 2014.

[2] "Resources and power". Britannica. Retrieved August 27, 2020.

[sector-3] 1 2 3 "Kuwait National Petroleum Company". Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Retrieved August 27, 2020.

[4] "Kuwait to close ageing Shuaiba refinery on April 1". Gulf Business. March 29, 2017. Retrieved August 27, 2020.

[5] "Mina Abdullah Refinery". Kuwait National Petroleum Company. Archived from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2020.

[6] "Mina Al Ahmadi Refinery". Kuwait National Petroleum Company. Archived from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2020.

[ken2026-03-20-7] 1 2 Kennedy, Charles (20 March 2026). "Oil Inches Higher as Iran Strikes Kuwait's Mina Al-Ahmadi Refinery". OilPrice.com.

[8] "KNPC- Mina Abdulla Refinery - Phase 1". Oil & Gas News. Retrieved September 1, 2020.

[9] Axon, Anthony; Hewitt, Susan (9 December 2019). Kuwait 1975/76 – 2019. BRILL. p. 383. ISBN 9789004423817. Retrieved September 1, 2020. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)

[10] Kuwait Country Study Guide Volume 1 Strategic Information ad Developments. Lulu.com. 20 March 2009. p. 263. ISBN 9781438727684. Retrieved October 5, 2020. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)

[11] "Kuwait refinery explosion kills four". Oil & Gas Journal. June 26, 2000. Retrieved October 5, 2020.

[12] Wang, Henry K. H. (2017). Energy Markets in Emerging Economies: Strategies for growth. Routledge. p. 241. ISBN 9781134886920. Retrieved October 5, 2020.

[13] "Mina Al Ahmadi Refinery - Kuwait National Petroleum Company - Mina Al Ahmadi Refinery". Archived from the original on 2023-01-30. Retrieved 2025-11-26.

[14] "KNPC commissions new unit at Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery". Oil & Gas Journal. January 6, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2020.

[15] "Kuwait shuts down Shuaiba refinery". www.theoilandgasyear.com. 31 March 2017. Retrieved 2018-03-25.

[16] "Al-Zour Refinery Project". NS Energy. Retrieved October 13, 2020.

[17] "KIPIC's Al-Zour Refinery Project". Total Energy Informatics. January 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2020.

[18] "Kuwait's new Al-Zour refinery enters commercial operation". 9 January 2023.

[19] Sohail, Nida (2025-04-16). "Kuwait unites oil giants: Merger of KNPC, KIPIC begins". Retrieved 2025-04-21.

[20] "Kuwait Launches Merger of State Oil Firms KNPC and KIPIC". Offshore Engineer Magazine. 2025-04-15. Retrieved 2025-04-21.

[21] "Kuwait Oil Sector Strengthened by KNPC and KIPIC Merger". IndexBox. Retrieved 2025-04-21.