KUWAIT OIL UPDATE - AUGUST 2004

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 002596 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP, E FOR CADE EB/ESC/IEC FOR GALLOGLY, TUCKER, AND MCMANUS STATE ALSO PASS TO DEPT OF ENERGY USDOC FOR 4520/ITA/MAC/OME E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/15/2009 TAGS: EPET ENRG EINV BEXP KU IZ IR SUBJECT: KUWAIT OIL UPDATE - AUGUST 2004 REF: A. KUWAIT 2524 ¶B. 2003KUWAIT 05756 Classified By: CDA TUELLER FOR REASON 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (SBU) Summary: In this version of the Kuwait Oil Update: the long-awaited Project Kuwait is given draft approval by the Supreme Petroleum Council; Kuwait Petroleum Company CEO Nader Al-Sultan tenders his resignation; the GOK moves forward in its hunt for gas supplies; a fourth refinery is planned; new oil tankers are contracted; and the Kuwait energy sector looks for increased cooperation with, and investment in, Asia following the Prime Minister's trip. End Summary. -------------- -------------- Project Kuwait - Supreme Petroleum Council Approval -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) The Supreme Council for Petroleum (SPC) met on 10 August and gave formal approval to the economic model and draft contract for the northern oilfields project (Project Kuwait),according to local news reports. The project documents will be referred to the Council of Ministers before being presented to the National Assembly (NA) at the beginning of the next parliamentary session. According to local daily Al-Qabas, the members of the SPC "sensed unprecedented seriousness in the need to see the project through until its final stages in order to develop the oil sector" by increasing production in the northern oilfields by 500,000 barrels. Investment in the northern oilfields project is projected to be at least seven billion dollars. ¶3. (SBU) Many news articles noted that the SPC had changed the description of the Project Kuwait bid package from an "agreement" or "treaty" to a "contract." In an 11 August telephone conversation with Hani Iskander, General Manager of ChevronTexaco in Kuwait, Iskander told EconOff that this opened up the possibility for the contract to be awarded by Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) directly, without NA approval. While not getting his hopes up for a quick approval by the NA, Iskander said that this was "another step in the process", and a "necessary formality." Iskander added that his sources on the SPC told him that they had "sweetened the fiscal terms" and that the "international oil companies (IOC's) will be happy." ¶4. (SBU) Dirk Lenaerts, Business Service Manager for ExxonMobil Kuwait, echoed Iskander's sentiment in a 11 August conversation with EconOff, saying that the SPC approval was "another important step forward," and that it was the "first time that Project Kuwait would actually be formally submitted to the NA." At the same time, Lenaerts expressed skepticism about the GOK's stated desire to move forward rapidly, saying that "with oil prices so high, why should (the GOK) bother with (a $7 billion) investment?" -------------- KPC CEO Nader Al-Sultan Resigns -------------- ¶5. (U) Local newspapers reported on 7 August that Deputy Chairman and CEO of Kuwait Petroleum Company (KPC) Nader Al-Sultan had tendered his resignation to the Energy Minister and would finish his work when the current KPC board expired in September, ending a 33-year career in the oil sector. Sultan nominated current KPC Board Chairman Hani Abdel Aziz Hussein to succeed him. Hussein has extensive experience in the petrochemical, oil marketing and refinery sectors. ¶6. (SBU) According to Hani Iskander of ChevronTexaco, Nader Sultan's resignation from KPC was the biggest news of the week, more important than the SPC approval of Project Kuwait. "Sultan was concerned with all of the details of Project Kuwait", he said, and added that he hoped for increased movement on Project Kuwait under Hani Hussein. Iskander said that he thought KPC would be run well under Hussein. ¶7. (C) PolOff attended a dinner on 9 August with the Sultan family, including Nader Sultan. The family congratulated Nader on his "retirement" and, in one case, for deciding "not to work under a crook," (referring to Energy Minister Ahmed al-Fahad). Much of the family was in agreement that Nader had been forced out of KPC because he was too clean. Regarding his successor, Nader said that the company had held five meetings to decide who the next Chairman of KPC would be. He said they had looked outside the company, but had decided on Hani Abdel Aziz Hussein because he is widely regarded as the only man in the company with enough experience and credibility to handle the job. Responding to a question from PolOff, Nader said the Minister knows Hussein is the only person up to the job, and would never consider sacking him. "He would be scared to do this," he said. Nader said Hussein had insisted to the Minister that he be allowed to bring in his "own people" to lead the company, referring to a planned reshuffling of top leadership posts in KPC. Nader said he would spend the next two weeks going over the KPC organizational chart with his successor to make sure the appropriate people were shuffled into and out of the appropriate jobs. Nader said he had requested that his name not be placed into consideration for a renewal of the three year contract over two years ago. (Note: In PolOff's 8 August meeting with PM Advisor Fawaz Al-Sabah, Al-Sabah said the decision had been made by the Minister himself (Ref A). End Note.) Sultan professed happiness, but it was apparent the move will be difficult for him, after 33 years with company. -------------- Gas - GOK Plans for Drilling in Al-Durra -------------- ¶8. (C) At a 10 August dinner Nawaf Saud Al-Sabah, the head of KPC's Washington office, shared with PolOff the latest on KPC's efforts to buy and/or drill for gas. He said that Kuwait had given up on the idea of buying Qatari gas, as the Saudis will absolutely not allow Qatar to pipe gas through its territory. Repeating what he told PolOff last year (Ref B),he said Shaykh Sabah had approached Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah on the issue, and had been told there were no issues precluding the sale, but was subsequently told to "forget about it" by Saud al-Faisal. Al-Sabah said Kuwait now has plans to work with the Saudis to drill the offshore Al-Durra field, irrespective of Iranian objections. He says Kuwait needs all the gas, and has been talking with Saudis to "buy them out," or at least buy their portion of the gas as it is pumped. Al-Sabah added that Kuwait has given up on the idea of buying from the Iranians, as they are "never sure who we are dealing with." He said he expects a decision to drill Al-Durra, which has not yet been approved, would prompt the Iranians to get serious about the possibility of selling gas to Kuwait. The time from decision until the first pumping of gas is expected to take six years, according to Al-Sabah. ¶9. (U) Also on the gas issue, 10 August newspapers reported that the Kuwait-Iraqi Joint Committee will discuss gas projects during their 29 August meeting. The discussions will include the importation by Kuwait of 200 million cubic feet of gas from Iraq, and potential Kuwaiti investments in the Iraqi Al-Saiba gas field. -------------- Fourth Refinery Planned -------------- ¶10. (U) In another move to provide fuel for power stations, a fourth refinery is planned for the Shuaiba area near the old Shuaiba refinery, at an estimated cost of KD1 billion ($3.4 billion). According to 4 August news reports, planned total capacity of the new refinery will be 430,000 barrels per day, with an initial capacity of 215,000 barrels per day expected to come online in 2008. Tenders for the front-end engineering and design contract are expected to be opened by the end of 2004. -------------- In Other Oil News... -------------- ¶11. (U) As part of a plan to modernize its aging tanker fleet and improve its exporting capacity, Kuwait Oil Tanker Company (KOTC) has contracted with Korean Hyundai Heavy Industries and Daewoo for the purchase of seven new oil tankers, in deals worth about $552 million. ¶12. (U) KPC is following up on the Prime Minister's recent trip to Asia by forming a committee to "follow up its oil sector investments in China," according to local news reports. KPC also announced that a delegation would visit China to make arrangements for a new contract to supply 600,000 tons of aviation fuel to China each year, and to open an office in China. ¶13. (C) After the PM's Asia trip, the PM's office released a document to all of the Ministries highlighting desired outcomes of the trip and specific objectives. A copy of the document, in Arabic, was provided to EconOff. An informal Embassy translation of this document provides the following points on development of the oil sector's relationship with Asian countries: Overall Objective: Develop the oil sector, increase the value-added in it, enhance its activities, increase demand for its products, and secure markets for it in the long run. Specific Goals: - Work towards signing long-term contracts for selling crude oil to those countries. - Study joint-venture investment opportunities with strategic partners in refineries and petrochemicals projects which depend on Kuwaiti oil. - Negotiate over joint investments in building strategic stocks for those countries, whether in their own countries or in other countries neighboring them. TUELLER