State-owned downstream operator Kuwait National Petroleum Company has officially issued a tender for the liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal due to be built near the town of Al-Zour.

A bid deadline has been set as 29 September for the project, which had a budget of KD1bn ($3.3bn) approved by KNPC in March.

MEED initially revealed the list of 13 companies and consortiums that prequalified to bid on the project on 23 April.

The qualified bidders are:

• Chicago Bridge & Iron (CB&I) Company (US listed)
• Consortium of Samsung Engineering (South Korea) and Samsung C&T (South Korea)
• Consortium of Daelim Industrial (South Korea) and IHI Corporation (Japan)
• Joint venture of Tecnicas Reunidas (Spain) and GS Engineering & Construction (E&C; South Korea)
• Consortium of Hyundai Engineering (South Korea), Hyundai E&C (South Korea), and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Japan)
• Chiyoda Corporation (Japan)
• Joint venture of Sener Ingeniería y Sistemas (Spain), and Techint Compagnia Tecnica Internazionale (Italy-Argentina)
• Consortium of Fluor Services Kuwait (US/Kuwait) and Daewoo E&C (South Korea)
• Consortium of Petrofac International (UK-listed), Black and Veatch International (US), Entrepose Projects (France) and VinciConstruction Grands Projects (France)
• Technip Italy (France/Italy)
• Consortium of Saipem (Italy) and Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) (Athens-based)
• Bechtel (US)
• JGC Corporation (Japan)

According to a KNPC document seen by MEED, four groups failed to qualify:

• Joint venture of Tecnimont (Italy) and Cobra Instalaciones y Servicios (Spain)
• China Chengda Engineering (China)
• CTCI Corporation (Thailand)
• Sinopec Shangai Engineering (China)

According to KNPC, plans the LNG regasification terminal will have a capacity of 1,500 billion BTUs a day (BTUs/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.