Petrofac has emerged as the lowest bidder for the main contract for state-owned upstream operator Kuwait Oil Company’s (KOC) Gathering Centre 32, according to Kuwait’s Central Tenders Committee, confirming MEED’s report on 5 January.

MEED had revealed that the UK-based company submitted the lowest bid of KD408m ($1.3bn), followed by South Korean firms SK Engineering (KD420m) and Samsung Engineering (KD500m).

South Korea’s Daewoo, Italy’s Saipem and Spanish firm Tecnicas Reunidas were the other companies that submitted bids.

Gathering Centre 32 in south-eastern Kuwait aims to deal with increasing crude sourness from the Burgan field. The centre, which is set for completion by March 2020, is one of several being built to support KOC’s plans to increase oil production. Kuwait aims to pump 4 million barrels a day (b/d) by 2020.

The centre will process crude oil and associated gas produced from the Arifjan, Marat, Minagish, Oolite and Burgan Wara fields.