Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) has signed a strategic agreement (MoU) to explore the development of a 1.5 GW power and steam co-generation plant in Ratqa. The MoU was signed with the Ministry of Electricity & Water & Renewable Energy, and KOC. The proposed co-generation facility aims to simultaneously produce electricity and steam, optimizing fuel utilization while reducing operational costs and environmental impact. By integrating power and steam generation, the initiative is expected to support the efficient development of heavy-oil production in the Ratqa field, a key asset in Kuwait’s upstream portfolio. (February 2026)

• Bids submission deadline for the EPC contract of the first phase of the project has now been extended to 15 July from the earlier deadline of 15 June. The first phase will cost $4.2bn. .June 2014.
• EPC bids have been submitted for the project, phase I. .July 2014.
• Kuwait Oil Company .KOC. has invited firms to bid for the pre-qualification for a deal to design new facilities for the development of heavy oil in the north of the country. The pre-qualification documents are to be submitted by 2 January 2013. .November 2012.
• Pre-qualification documents have been submitted for the deal to design new facilities for the development of heavy oil facilities. Evaluation process is ongoing which is expected to be completed by May. .January 2013.
• KOC is set to launch a major tender worth about $7bn by 2013 end for the construction of heavy crude production facilities. The selected PMC contractor name will be disclosed only after the tender is launched. .October 2013.
• EPC tenders have been issued for the project. Deadline to submit bids is 26 January. The tender includes five EPC main packages: a steam injection facility, production facilities, a support complex, tank farms and a 270,000 barrels-per-day .bpd. pipeline to transport crude. .October 2013.
• Australia s Worley Parsons has been appointed as the project management consultant for the project. .October 2013.?
• Commercial bids for the five EPC packages have been delayed to 20 March from the originally planned 26 January deadline. The packages cover a steam injection facility, production facilities, a support complex, tank farms and a 270,000 barrels-per-day .bpd. pipeline to transport the heavy crude to the planned new refinery in the south of Kuwait. .January 2014.
• Bids submission deadline has been pushed back for the EPC of heavy crude oil production facilities; they are now due to be submitted on 11 May. .March 2014.
• Firms have been invited to submit the pre-qualification entries by 18 May for the operations and maintenance of its planned heavy oil production facilities. .March 2014.
• EPC contract worth $4.1bn for phase I (CPF, associated facilities) has been awarded to a consortium of Petrofac of UAE and Consolidated Contractors Company of Athens. The scope of work covered greenfield and brownfield facilities. It included engineering, procurement, construction, pre-commissioning, commissioning, start-up, and operations and maintenance work for the main central processing facility (CPF) and associated infrastructure, as well as a production support complex. (January 2015)
• Lower fars oil development project is steadily moving ahead. (February 2016)
• The project scope also includes a pipeline package worth $842mn. It has been awarded to Saipem of Italy. The pipeline will extend for almost 162 kilometres. It will transport the heavy crude from the CPF to the south tank farm located in Ahmadi. Once the oil is at the south tank farm, KOC will have the option to send it to the Al-Zour refinery in the south of Kuwait. (July 2017)
• Heavy oil production project in South Ritqa oilfield is 86 percent complete and about 930 wells are completed and equipped to begin operation. (September 2018)
• KOC has received bids for the estimated $360 million contract to provide well hook-ups at it heavy oil deposits in North Kuwait. Sayed Hamid Behbehani & Sons of Kuwait has emerged as the lowest bidder in the bid evaluation process. (December 2018)
• Phase 1 of Kuwait’s Ratqa Lower Fars heavy oil megaproject is expected to produce 11,000 barrels of oil a day (b/d) in August. (April 2019)
• The main package for phase 1 of Ratqa Lower Fars heavy oil megaproject has been completed. (August 2019)
• KOC has issued tender for a contract for operation and maintenance services for North Kuwait Heavy Oil Facilities (Phase 1), part of Ratqa Lower Fars Development Program. Last date to submit bids is 12 September, 2021. (August 2021)
• The Phase 2 of Ratqa Lower Fars heavy oil megaproject is in the front-end engineering design (feed) stage, while Phase 3 is in the study phase. Both phases are estimated to be worth $2bn each. (August 2021)
• KOC has extended the bids submission deadline to 10 October, 2021 for operation and maintenance services contract for North Kuwait Heavy Oil Facilities. (September 2021)
• KOC has once again extended the bids submission deadline for operation and maintenance services contract for North Kuwait Heavy Oil Facilities. Bids are now due to be submitted by 14 November, 2021. (October 2021)
• KOC has extended the bids submission deadline to 26 December, 2021 for operation and maintenance services contract for North Kuwait Heavy Oil Facilities. (December 2021)
• Weatherford International plc was awarded a three-year digital oilfield contract to support digital transformation strategy in North Kuwait Heavy Oil field and for deploying its Integrated Enterprise Excellence Platform across KOC. The award also includes instrumentation, real-time monitoring, and production optimization and assurance of wells to enable KOC to optimize its production and workover plans. The project scope will support KOC in performing heavy oil wells analysis, model tuning, well design, asset optimization, surveillance and forecasting, and integrating with different E&P applications. (December 2021)
• KOC has extended the bids submission deadline to 1 March, 2022 for operation and maintenance services contract for North Kuwait Heavy Oil Facilities. (January 2022)
• KOC has awarded a contract worth KWD 123.8 million ($408.6 million) to Sayed Hamid Behbehani & Sons Co. WLL of Kuwait for the construction of 11 Patterns Well Hook-up & Associated Works in North Kuwait area. The contract scope involves connection of 402 heavy oil wells in South Ratqa Oil Fields to the existing headers. The headers are being connected under a separate contract to Infield Satellite Station (ISS) and then to Central Processing Facility (CPF) for onward shipment of oil to South Tank Farm (STF). The duration of the project completion is 15 months. (January 2022)
• KOC has yet again extended the bids submission deadline to 15 March, 2022 for operation and maintenance services contract for North Kuwait Heavy Oil Facilities. (March 2022)
• The bids submission deadline for operation and maintenance services contract for North Kuwait Heavy Oil Facilities has been extended to 15 May, 2022. (April 2022)
• KOC has yet again extended the bids submission deadline to 22 May, 2022 for operation and maintenance services contract for North Kuwait Heavy Oil Facilities. (May 2022)
• KOC has received bids for the O&M services contract for North Kuwait Heavy Oil Facilities. The bidders are: ABJ Engineering and Contracting KSCC KM, Al Dar Engineering and Construction Company KSCC, Al Meer Technical Services LLC, Alghanim International General Trading and Contracting Company LLC, Badr Al Mulla & Brothers Co. SPC, Egyptian Maintenance Company (EMC), Heavy Engineering Industries and Shipbuilding Company, Integrated Services Company for Mechanical Contracting and Precision Machines LLC, Speck Gulf General Trading and Contracting Company LLC. The lowest bid price of KD 23.94 million ($78 million) has been submitted by Speck Gulf General Trading and Contracting Company LLC. (June 2022)
• KOC has invited bids by 7 November, 2022 for the contract to carry out the consultancy service for mini frac tests in Lower Fars Heavy Oil Fields of North Kuwait. (October 2022)
• KOC has extended the bids submission deadline to 5 December, 2022 for the contract to carry out the consultancy service for mini frac tests in Lower Fars Heavy Oil Fields of North Kuwait. (November 2022)
• KOC has extended the bids submission deadline to 12 December, 2022 for the contract to carry out the consultancy service for mini frac tests in Lower Fars Heavy Oil Fields of North Kuwait. (December 2022)
• KOC has received bids from Bitcan Geosciences and Engineering Inc (KD 540,456) and Halliburton Overseas Ltd (KD 732,307) for the contract to carry out the consultancy service for mini frac tests in Lower Fars Heavy Oil Fields of North Kuwait. (January 2023)
• KOC has awarded the operation and maintenance services contract with value of KD 23.94 million ($78 million) to Speck Gulf General Trading and Contracting Company LLC for North Kuwait Heavy Oil Facilities. (May 2023)
• KOC has relaunched the pre-qualification process for a design consultant contract for its Lower Fars heavy oil (LFHO) development programme. Applicants can submit the applications preferably not later than 2 June 2024. (May 2024)

• KOC has signed nine contracts with five local companies to provide drilling rigs for heavy oil production operations in NK fields. The five companies that are signed up for further enhancing KOOC’s oil production, include: Emkan Company, Kuwait Well Drilling Company, Operational Energy Company, Refineries Engineering Company, Zenith Group for Drilling & Maintenance of Oil Wells. The contracts aimed at providing nine surface drilling rigs (550 HP) for a period of up to five years, at competitive prices and within the scope of allocated budgets. These contracts are of a special nature, as for the first time in the Company, drilling rig contracts are signed with local companies with the support of international companies qualified in drilling and well workover operations, with the aim of creating and establishing local companies in this field. (July 2024)

• KOC has announced that its heavy oil production has reached 90,000 barrels per day. The company anticipates reaching a production level of 100,000 barrels per day by the second quarter of 2025, and credited the hard work of the responsible teams and groups at KOC for accelerating the completion of major projects in the Ratqa field in northern Kuwait. (December 2024)