Kuwait’s oil minister said crude production testing would begin at the al-Wafra and al-Khafji fields ahead of volumes gradually increased to normal levels.
Dr Khaled Al Fadhel, Kuwait’s Minister of Oil, Electricity and Water said that production would be restored to regular levels by the end of the year.
Kuwait and Saudi Arabia agreed in December to resume production from a shared area called the Neutral Zone after a five-year dispute and hiatus, where two fields of Khafji and Wafra used to produce 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) or 0.5 per cent global oil supply before the shutdown.
Al Fadhel said the production volumes in the joint output in the neutral zone would reach nearly 550,000 bpd, adding that the production at al Wafra has reached 140,000 bpd, while output at al Khafji reached 250,000 bpd, constituting Kuwait’s share.
Additionally, the minister said the two countries had signed a memorandum of understanding to start work for al Durra field, which would entail studies and approvals at the official levels in Kuwait.
