Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) has prequalified six consortiums for the three technical packages at its planned $12bn New Refinery Project (NRP).

MEED reported in April that the tenders for the three packages, two of which will incorporate several technical units as well as one covering the offsite and utilities, will be issued in May.   

The six consortiums are:

• Fluor Corporation/Hyundai Heavy Industries (US/South Korea)
• JGC Corporation/GS Engineering & Construction/SK Engineering & Construction (Japan/South Korea)
• KBR (US)
• Petrofac/Samsung Engineering/CB&I Lummus (UK/South Korea/US)
• Saipem/Hyundai Engineering & Construction/Marie Technimont/Daelim Industrial (Italy/South Korea)
• Tecnicas Reunidas/China Petrochemical Corporation/Hanwha Engineering & Construction (Spain/China/South Korea)

The packages are estimated to be worth about $9bn. Two packages have already been released that will cover the construction of the tank farm and marine facilities. Bids for these are expected in September.  

The new refinery is key to the country’s hopes of meeting growing power demand. The 615,000 barrel-a-day (b/d) facility will supply 225,000 b/d of low-sulphur fuel oil for power generation. The scheme will be one of the largest single-phase refineries ever built.

Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors have had a long wait for the retender of the refining megaproject, which has been tendered twice before, only to be awarded and cancelled before construction could begin.