State oil company Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) is looking to sign technical service deals for the country’s northern oil fields before the end of the year.

“It will be for heavy oil and greater Burgan and north Kuwait (oilfields). Bids will be issued next week, mid-October, and we expect to sign by the end of the year,” KPC chief executive Nizar Adsani told UK-based news agency Reuters.

KOC is also looking to ramp up production in northern Kuwait to compensate for the lost production in the Divided Zone.

Before the collapse in production in the Divided Zone Kuwait was already struggling to raise oil production from 2.8 million barrels a day (b/d) to hit its 2020 production target of 4 million b/d.