State-refiner, Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) has released a tender for the construction of new utilities for sulphur-handling facilities at the Mina al-Ahmadi refinery, 45 kilometres south of Kuwait City.

Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firms have been given until 13 January to submit their proposals for the scheme, which also includes the rehabilitation of the existing utilities at the facility.

The closing date for enquiries is 28 October and a pre-tender meeting will be held on 12 November.

Prequalification documents are available from 14 October for a fee of KD2,500 ($8,894). KNPC has set a bid bond of KD544,000 ($1.9m).

Ten firms have been prequalified so far:

• Consolidated Contractors Company (Athens-based)
• Daelim Industrial (South Korea)
• Daewoo (South Korea)
• GS Engineering & Construction (South Korea)
• Hyundai Engineering & Construction (South Korea)
• Hyundai Heavy Industries (South Korea)
• Petrofac (UK)
• Saipem (Italy)
• Samsung Engineering (South Korea)
• SK Engineering & Construction (South Korea)

In September, KNPC announced it had prequalified the same 10 firms to bid on the larger deal to rehabilitate the sulphur handling facility at the Mina al-Ahmadi refinery. The project also includes the installation of new granulators, storage tanks and an off-shore loading terminal. Contractors are still waiting for the release of a tender, almost a year after they were first invited to express interest in November 2011.