State-owned downstream operator Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) has added France’s Technip Energies to its list of prequalified bidders for a strategic refinery contract in the country.The contract being tendered is for consultancy services for front-end engineering and design (feed) works for a flue gas desulphurisation unit (FGDU) at the Mina al-Ahmadi Refinery.The project is estimated to be worth about $200m.The expanded list of prequalified bidders is:Wood Group (UK)Engineers India (India)Toyo Engineering Corporation (Japan)ILF Consulting Engineers (Austria)Asprofos (Greece)Gulf Spic General Trading & Contracting (Kuwait)Larsen & Toubro (India)Triune Energy Services (India)Worley Engineering (Australia)Technip Energies (France)FGDUs remove sulphur dioxide from exhaust flue gases of industrial facilities such as oil refineries.Fossil fuels such as coal and oil can contain a significant amount of sulphur. When fossil fuels are burned, about 95 per cent or more of the sulphur is generally converted to sulphur dioxide.The closing date for the tender is 19 October 2023.Kuwait has had three elections in three years, creating policy uncertainty that has significantly impacted businesses and delayed major decisions on projects.The country has seen a contraction in the value of its oil and gas projects market as the political deadlock has blocked approvals for major infrastructure projects.Between the start of 2020 and the beginning of May this year, Kuwait’s total value of all active oil, gas and chemicals projects declined by 65 per cent, from $67.1bn to just $23.5bn. (ICE KUWAIT)

Fonte notizia: MEED