On May 29, 2024, Kuwait’s Emir Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah officially inaugurated the Al-Zour Refinery, marking the full operational launch of one of the largest refineries in the Middle East. With SEG’s participation in its construction, the refinery has now reached its maximum design capacity, positioning Kuwait as the Middle East’s largest producer of clean petroleum products. It will supply high-value, high-quality clean fuels to global markets, symbolizing a pivotal milestone in Kuwait’s national economic transformation.
The Al-Zour Refinery, incorporating SINOPEC’s world-class engineering techniques, meets global environmental standards. At full capacity, it boasts an annual crude processing capacity of 31.5 million tons/year (615,000 barrels per day) , increasing Kuwait’s daily refining capacity by 66%. This achievement marks a historic leap in Kuwait’s petroleum industry.
Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported that Deputy Prime Minister and Oil Minister Emad Al-Atiqi stated the Al-Zour Refinery is a cornerstone of Kuwait’s development plans and a key pillar of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation’s 2040 Strategy. The project will accelerate Kuwait’s “Vision 2035” , enhance product competitiveness, unlock emerging global markets, and solidify Kuwait’s role as a leading global energy supplier.
The refinery’s completion is hailed as a successful alignment of China’s Belt and Road Initiative with Kuwait’s “Vision 2035” . With a total investment of $13.9 billion , the refinery produces Euro V-standard gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and other clean fuels to power local plants while protecting the environment. In the project bidding, SEG, in a JV with Spanish and Korean engineering firms, secured Package P1 , undertaking the EPC contracting for 15 refining units . SEG subsidiaries LPEC, SFCC, STCC, and SINOPEC Heavy Lifting & Transport Co. (HLT) participated in the project.
To ensure execution excellence, SEG formed a joint management team with Spanish and Korean partners, leveraging each company’s strengths. Design centers in Madrid, Guangzhou, and Seoul enabled 700 engineers to collaborate on a unified platform, achieving global coordination and data sharing. At peak construction, over 10,000 workers were mobilized, including 3,000+ expatriates from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. The project’s cross-cultural integration management significantly advanced progress. Post-completion, amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, SEG teams actively supported Kuwait’s pandemic response. SFCC upgraded its Kuwait camp to establish Kuwait’s first mobile cabin hospital , while STCC converted its camp into a quarantine center , benefiting nearly 10,000 local residents . SINOPEC’s contributions were widely praised by Kuwait’s government and covered by local and Middle Eastern media. Xinhua News Agency also highlighted the project’s best practices in 5 global reports , publishing 4 multilingual news releases (Chinese, English, Arabic) and 1 live broadcast , further elevating SINOPEC Engineering’s global reputation. The project was shortlisted as “2023 Top 10 Overseas Highlights of Central SOEs” by the SASAC News Center—the only SINOPEC project honored.
In December 2019, the 15 units built by SEG achieved mechanical completion ahead of schedule, showcasing “Chinese speed” and “Chinese quality” to build a “Chinese brand” . The project realized its goals of “safety, stability, profitability, and talent development” , earning high praise from Chinese Ambassador to Kuwait Li Minggang: “This project embodies President Xi Jinping’s ‘Belt and Road’ principle of ‘joint consultation, joint construction, and shared benefits,’ demonstrating Chinese enterprises as pioneers, organizers, and planners of the initiative.”
