Kuwait Petroleum became top jet fuel supplier to northwest Europe in 2024

Kuwait Petroleum Corp (KPC) was the top jet fuel supplier to northwestern Europe last year and is looking to expand its share in refined fuel consumption in some other markets as well, its managing director of international marketing said on Monday.

“We think we took a substantial market share in that region. Now we think there is a good opportunity for a lot of products to have a market share in some markets,” Shaikh Khaled Ahmad Al Sabah, told the Asia Pacific Petroleum Conference (APPEC).

According to reports in local media, Kuwait increased its exports of fuel oil, diesel, and jet fuel to Europe by five times until May 2024.

This increase aims to compensate for the Russian supply deficit, which the European Union faces following its decision to ban the import of refined petroleum materials from Russia. Europeans have experienced a major shortage of diesel and jet fuel due to sanctions imposed on Russian oil derivatives.

The report added that KPC has focused on increasing its export shipments from the Al Zour refinery and was able to increase its exports of diesel and aviation fuel successfully.

Al Zour refinery

The Al Zour refinery, consisting of three component units, reached its maximum output capacity of 615,000 bpd, earlier this year.

Kuwait’s refining capacity surged to an unprecedented 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd), following the full operational launch of the Al Zour refinery, one of the largest in the Middle East. 

KPC exported its first shipment of aviation jet fuel from the Al Zour mega-refinery in November 2022.

Read: Kuwait officially inaugurates Al Zour mega-refinery as it hits record capacity