State-refiner, Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) is expected to announce by 15 March its shortlist of international engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firms in Kuwait to bid for two of the region’s largest downstream projects.

According to sources in Kuwait, at least seven groups of engineers and contractors submitted their documents in October. The firms came together to prepare for the clean fuels project (CFP) and new refinery project (NRP) for KNPC.

Combined, the schemes are worth an estimated $30bn.

The CFP covers the upgrade of the Mina al-Ahmadi and Mina Abdullah refineries to boost their combined capacity to 800,000 barrels a day (b/d) from 736,000 b/d. The estimated $18bn scheme is split into three packages. One covers process units at Mina al-Ahmadi. Another involves process and revamp work, as well as offsites and utilities, at Mina Abdullah and the state’s third refinery at Shuaiba. The final package covers the entire scope of facilities and services at Mina al-Ahmadi.

The new refinery, planned for Al-Zour in the south of Kuwait, has been split into five packages, covering crude distillation and atmospheric residue desulphurization units, hydrogen compression and recovery units, offsites and utilities, tanks and marine facilities.