SLB passes evaluation for Kuwait upstream project
12 December 2025
The US-based oilfield services company SLB, formerly Schlumberger, has passed the technical bid evaluation for a major project to develop Kuwait’s Mutriba oil field.
The Houston-headquartered company was the only bidder to pass the technical evaluation for the Mutriba integrated project management (IPM) contract.
The minimum passing technical evaluation score was 75%.
The full list of bidders was:
- SLB (US): 97%
- Halliburton (US): 72%
- Weatherford (US): 61.5%
The decision was finalised at a meeting of the Higher Purchase Committee (HPC) of state-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) on 20 November 2025.
According to a document published earlier this year by KOC, the IPM tender for the Mutriba field aims to “accelerate production through a comprehensive study that includes economic feasibility evaluation, well planning and long-term sustainability strategies”.
The field was originally discovered in 2009.
Commercial production from the Mutriba field started earlier this year, on 15 June, after several wells were connected to production facilities.
The field is located in a relatively undeveloped area in northwest Kuwait and spans more than 230 square kilometres.
The oil at the Mutriba field has unusually high hydrogen sulfide content, which can be as much as 40%.
This presents operational challenges requiring specialised technologies and safety measures.
In order to start producing oil at the field, KOC deployed multiphase pumps to increase hydrocarbon pressure and enable transportation to the nearest Jurassic production facilities in north Kuwait.
The company also built long-distance pipelines stretching 50 to 70 kilometres, using high-grade corrosion-resistant materials engineered to withstand the high hydrogen sulfide levels and ensure long-term reliability.
KOC also commissioned the Mutriba long-term testing facility in northwest Kuwait, with a nameplate capacity of around 5,000 barrels of oil a day (b/d) and 5 million standard cubic feet of gas a day (mmscf/d).
Once this facility was commissioned, production stabilised at 5,000 b/d and 7 mmscf/d.
In documents published earlier this year, KOC said that starting production from the field had “laid a solid foundation” for the IPM contract by generating essential reservoir and surface data that will guide future development.
Future output from the field is expected to range between 80,000 and 120,000 b/d, in addition to approximately 150 mmscf/d of gas.
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