Downstream operator Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) has postponed the deadline for bids for the country’s planned liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal.

The deadline has been pushed back to 22 December from 10 November.

This is the second time that the bid deadline has been postponed.

“Contractors have questions on a number of issues,” said a source close to the project. “One of the issues that still needs to be discussed in more detail is the land reclamation involved in the project. Reclaiming land on this scale is a new thing for Kuwait.”

Contractors also want to discuss the sequencing of the project, according to the source.

The LNG import terminal will be located near the town of Al-Zour in the Kuwaiti half of the Divided Zone, which is shared with Saudi Arabia.

According to KNPC’s plans, the LNG regasification terminal will have a capacity of 1.5 trillion BTUs a day (btu/d) and will include two berths for the simultaneous unloading of large LNG carriers.

The terminal will also include four full containment LNG tanks, each with a working capacity of 225,500 cubic metres.

It is due to be constructed on reclaimed land formed by hydraulic filling.

A total of 13 contractors have qualified to bid on the terminal.

The full list of prequalified companies is:

• Chicago Bridge & Iron Company (CB&I) (Netherlands-based)
• Samsung Engineering (South Korea) / Samsung C&T (South Korea)
• Daelim Industrial (South Korea) / IHI Corporation (Japan)
• Tecnicas Reunidas (Spain) / GS Engineering & Construction (E&C; South Korea)
• Hyundai Engineering (South Korea) / Hyundai E&C (South Korea) / South Korea’s Korea Gas Corporation (Kogas; South Korea)
• Chiyoda Corporation (Japan)
• Sener Ingeniería y Sistemas (Spain) / Techint Compagnia Tecnica Internazionale (Italy/Argentina)
• Fluor Services Kuwait (US/Kuwait) / Daewoo E&C (South Korea)
• Petrofac International (London-based) / Black and Veatch International (US) / Entrepose Projects (France) / Vinc Construction Grands Projetsi (France)
• Technip Italy (France/Italy)
• Saipem (Italy) / Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC; Athens-based)
• Bechtel (US)
• JGC Corporation (Japan)

Originally Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was part of the joint venture with South Korea’s Hyundai Engineering and Hyundai Engineering & Construction (E&C).

In October it announced that it had exited the tender process  for the project and that South Korea’s Korea Gas Corporation (Kogas) would replace it in the consortium.