Kuwait Oil Company plans facility to sweeten gas
27 March 2023
State-owned upstream operator Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) is planning to tender a new gas sweetening facility in West Kuwait, according to industry sources.
Plans for the project are still at an early stage, and it is expected to be tendered in the first or second quarter of 2024.
The main contract for the project is anticipated to be worth around $300m, but it could be significantly larger depending on the final specifications of the planned facility.
Gas sweetening facilities reduce hydrogen sulfide carbon dioxide levels in natural gas.
If natural gas only contains trace quantities of hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide, it is referred to as sweet gas.
Sweet gas is non-corrosive, requires little refining and can be easily transported to where it is consumed.
There are several methods for gas sweetening, and the equipment ranges in efficiency, cost, scale and size.
Oil and gas tenders
Earlier this month, MEED revealed that the tender packages for two oil and gas projects had been submitted to Kuwait’s Central Agency for Public Tenders (Capt).
The projects, which have an estimated combined value of $1.35bn, are expected to be among the few significant oil and gas projects awarded in the country over the coming 12-month period.
The tender packages were submitted to Capt by KOC.
One of the projects, known as EF/2058, is worth an estimated $650m. The project is focused on expanding two effluent water disposal plants for the oil and gas sector.
The two facilities that will be expanded are called EWDP-1 and EWDP-2. EWDP-1 is about 20 kilometres south of Kuwait City, and EWDP-2 is approximately 40km south of the capital.
The second project has the reference number EF/2059 and is worth an estimated $700m. It is focused on debottlenecking four gathering centres (GCs) in eastern Kuwait.
The GCs that will be upgraded as part of the project are GC 1, GC 2, GC 11 and GC 19.
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According to Suez, the contract is the company’s largest ever in the Middle East.
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> AIRPORTS: Dubai and Riyadh reaffirm airport ambitions> INDUSTRY REPORT: Dubai eyes tourism sector recovery> DATA CENTRES: Big Tech falls short on data centre promise> LEADERSHIP: Aramco’s citizen developers accelerate digital changeTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17492322/main.jpg -
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EditorThe conflict that erupted on 28 February has tested Gulf aviation more severely than any event since the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet the sector’s response has revealed both its vulnerability and its underlying resilience in equal measure.
The scale of the disruption has been severe. Between 28 February and 5 March alone, more than 15,000 flights were cancelled across seven major regional airports. Jet fuel prices are expected to average $152 a barrel this year, almost 70% above 2025 levels, while the International Air Transport Association now forecasts global airline net profit of $23bn in 2026, roughly half its earlier projection.
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Read the July 2026 MEED Business Review30 June 2026
Download / Subscribe / 14-day trial access The events that unfolded from 28 February delivered the Gulf aviation sector its toughest test since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Missile and drone attacks exposed the fragility of one of the region’s most vital economic engines, triggering unprecedented disruption. In just one week, more than 15,000 flights were cancelled across seven major Gulf airports, leaving over 1.5 million passengers stranded and sending shockwaves through global travel networks.
While the Gulf's national airlines have largely restored services, many international carriers remain absent, highlighting the lasting impact of the crisis.So what does this mean for the future of Gulf aviation? In the July issue of MEED Business Review, MEED editor Colin Foreman examines how the industry responded under extraordinary pressure – and why the crisis revealed not only its vulnerabilities, but also the remarkable resilience that will shape its next chapter.
July’s market focus is on the Levant, and finds the region’s three markets – Jordan, Lebanon and Syria – recovering at different speeds and from very different starting points.
This edition also includes a tourism report as the first signs of recovery begin to emerge in Dubai, and the region presses ahead with tourism projects.
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We also explore the multibillion-dollar opportunity emerging from the region’s evolving retirement savings market and discover how Aramco's citizen developers are accelerating digital transformation from within.
We hope our valued subscribers enjoy the July 2026 issue of MEED Business Review.

Must-read sections in the July 2026 issue of MEED Business Review include:
> AGENDA: Gulf aviation ambitions face uncertain future
> AIRPORTS: Dubai and Riyadh reaffirm airport ambitionsINDUSTRY REPORT:
Tourism investment
> Dubai eyes tourism sector recovery
> GCC presses ahead with tourism projects> INTERVIEW: EtihadWE prepares roadmap for future projects
> PROJECTS MARKET: Mena project momentum holds despite conflict
> DATA CENTRES: Big Tech falls short on data centre promise
> SAVINGS: Retirement creates multibillion-dollar opportunity for region
> LEADERSHIP: Aramco’s citizen developers accelerate digital change
> INTERVIEW: Samsung E&A’s hydrocarbons business rooted in Mena
> LEVANT MARKET FOCUS:
> COMMENT: Levant recovers in three speeds
> GOVERNMENT: Jordan consolidates as deeper reforms lag
> BANKING: Caution governs Jordanian bank lending
> POWER & WATER: Record investment drives Jordan’s utilities market
> ECONOMY: Gulf liquidity outpaces Syria’s financial revival
> PROJECTS: Momentum builds for Syrian projects
> OIL & GAS: Activity ramps up in Syria’s oil and gas sector
> CONSTRUCTION: Prospects improve for Levant construction
> OIL & GAS: Lebanon taps foreign players to assess resources
> DATABANK: Jordan faces fresh round of challenges> MEED COMMENTS:
> UAE clears the path for recovery
> Water tariffs near their floor
> Petrofac seeks to reclaim lost ground
> The UAE’s eastern pivot> GULF PROJECTS INDEX: Gulf index extends growth streak into 15th month
> MAY 2026 CONTRACTS: Middle East contract awards
> ECONOMIC DATA: Data drives regional projects
> OPINION: The price of permanent risk
> BUSINESS OUTLOOK: Finance, oil and gas, construction, power and water contracts
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Consortiums sign agreements to develop Oman energy projects30 June 2026
Consortiums led by France’s EDF Power Solutions have signed agreements to develop a 2,000MW pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) project and a 500MW solar independent power producer (IPP) project in Oman.
The agreements were signed in Paris on 29 June during the official visit of a high-level Omani delegation to France, led by Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq.
The framework agreement for the 2,000MW Jabal Abyad PHES project was signed by a consortium comprising EDF Power Solutions, Oman National Engineering & Investment Company (ONEIC), Takhzeen Oman and local firm Green Universe Enterprise, along with the Authority for Public Services Regulation.
The project will be located near Wadi Dayqah Dam and is expected to be the Middle East’s largest PHES plant.
The power purchase agreement for the 500MW Al-Kamil solar IPP was signed by a separate consortium comprising EDF Power Solutions, ONEIC and the local OQ Alternative Energy, alongside Nama Power & Water Procurement Company (Nama PWP).
The project will be financed, built and operated by the consortium.
The Al-Kamil solar photovoltaic IPP is EDF Power Solutions’ third renewable energy project in Oman following the 500MW Manah 1 solar PV IPP and the 120MW JBB wind IPP.
As previously reported, the Kamil IPP sits alongside renewables schemes in Nama PWP’s development pipeline, including the 400MW Sina and 280MW Marsa solar IPPs. Plans also include the 800MW Mahout and 300MW Duqm 2 wind IPPs, both of which are targeted for commissioning between 2027 and 2029.
Separately, the Omani government, EDF Power Solutions and Synergy Investments signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a 1,000MW sustainable digital infrastructure platform.
The project aims to position Oman as a regional hub for artificial intelligence, advanced computing and cloud services in line with Oman Vision 2040.
READ THE JULY 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDFStress test for Gulf aviation; Mixed performance as country outlooks diverge in the Levant; GCC tourism sector pivots from crisis to recovery mode.
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the July 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
> AIRPORTS: Dubai and Riyadh reaffirm airport ambitions> INDUSTRY REPORT: Dubai eyes tourism sector recovery> DATA CENTRES: Big Tech falls short on data centre promise> LEADERSHIP: Aramco’s citizen developers accelerate digital changeTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17491165/main.jpg