Al-Zour Refinery stands as Sinopec’s landmark refining & petrochemical project in Kuwait and the broader Middle East, ranking among the largest refineries across the region.
Partners: Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company (KIPIC, project owner); Spain’s Tecnicas Reunidas (joint venture partner). Project Profile: Total investment hits USD 13.9 billion; Chinese contractors undertake over half of the whole contract scope. Sinopec Fifth Construction Company finished construction of six refining units with full handover in 2021. As one of the general contractors, Sinopec Luoyang Petrochemical Engineering Corporation completed 15 core refining units and delivered the works in 2019.
Project Significance: Designed for 615,000 barrels per day refining capacity, the refinery went into full commercial operation in May 2024. It greatly lifts Kuwait’s self-sufficiency of clean fuels and export competitiveness of petroleum products, underpinning Kuwait’s energy transition and economic growth.
Sinopec International Petroleum Service Corporation (SIPSC) and its subsidiaries run multiple drilling and workover crews in Kuwait, acting as a key contractor of Kuwait Oil Company (KOC).
Partner: Kuwait Oil Company (KOC). Joint Venture: Sinopec Gulf Petroleum Services Co. (SGPS), a JV with local Kuwaiti firm Triple e Holding. Triple e holds 51% equity and Sinopec takes 49%, focusing on drilling support and full-spectrum oilfield services.
Project Profile: Sinopec entered Kuwait’s drilling market in 2008 and has secured a batch of long-term drilling contracts covering drilling, workover and drill bit technical services. Key awards include a USD 360 million contract for 10 workover rigs (5-year base term plus 1 optional extension year) and the South Kuwait Integrated Drilling EPC project officially kicked off in August 2025.
Project Profile: Located on the southeast zone of giant Burgan Oilfield, GC-32 is the first sour hydrocarbon separation hub within the oilfield. Constructor: Sinopec Tenth Construction Company.
For years, Sinopec has maintained steady investment and diversified energy cooperation across Kuwait. Delivered refining facilities, continuous oilfield technical services and government-enterprise partnerships help Kuwait improve its full energy industrial chain and domestic industrial upgrade, realizing complementary advantages and win-win results between China and Kuwait.
