Kuwait: According to a press communiqué from Siemens, the company has energised the high-voltage substations, as part of a greenfield development, under KNPC’s Clean Fuels Project at Mina Al Ahmadi (MAA) and Mina Abdullah (MAB) refineries in Kuwait, to boost capacity and increase power stability at the two facilities.

Set for completion in 2018, the Clean Fuels Project, the communiqué revealed, is one of KNPC’s strategic projects, seeking to transform the two refineries into an integrated merchant refining complex that meets the diversified requirements of the world oil market.

Giving details, the communiqué informed that the Clean Fuels Project involves the upgrade and integration of the MAB and MAA refineries, located 60 and 45 kilometres south of Kuwait, respectively. As part of a KD 68 million contract, Siemens delivered and installed a 132kV AHRF ‘C’ substation at MAA and a 300/132kV MARF ‘W’ substation at MAB, said  the communiqué said.

The company mentioned that the upgrade, which provides the refineries with their own dedicated substations, allows for an increase in the combined output of the two refineries to 800,000 barrels per day. Siemens also provided 250 kilometres of cabling for the project, equivalent to the distance from Kuwait City to the Saudi Arabian border and back, added the company.

“We are excited about reaching this important milestone,” said Adrian Wood, CEO of Siemens, Kuwait. “With two high-voltage substations completely dedicated to the Mina Al Ahmadi and Mina Abdullah refineries, power is now provided to the oil facilities to meet the increasing demand. These new substations will now ensure a reliable and stable electricity supply for the refineries.”