Kuwait is planning to build three refineries in Asia capable of refining 800,000 barrels a day (b/d) by 2017, says Ghanim al-Otaibi, general manager for business development, Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI).

The three refineries will be located in Vietnam, China and Indonesia. 

The most advanced scheme is a refinery in Vietnam, which will have a production capacity of 200,000 b/d.

“We are almost ready to award the EPC contract for the refinery. We will select the contractors within the next month,” said Al-Otaibi, speaking at MEED’s Kuwait Energy and Infrastructure Projects 2012.

The refinery will be located about 200 kilometres south of the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi, and is scheduled for start-up by 2016.

The refinery planned in China will have a capacity of 300,000 b/d and is currently in the feed stage. The planned start date for production at the facility is 2016.

KPI and its international partners are currently working on the feasibility studies for the planned refinery in Indonesia, which will have a capacity of 200,000-300,000 b/d. The feasibility study is scheduled for completion by March 2013, with production planned to start by 2017.