KOC presses ahead with gas production expansion

Kuwait’s state-owned upstream operator is quietly stepping up its gas production ambitions, signalling a measured but material shift in the emirate’s energy balance over the coming decade.

Senior industry figures in Kuwait say Kuwait Oil Co. (KOC) is working towards a combined associated and non‑associated gas production target of around 4bn cubic feet per day within ten years, a trajectory that, if sustained, would reshape the country’s import requirements and domestic fuel mix.

KOC’s gas portfolio already spans a broad swathe of the country, supported by a pipeline network extending beyond 5,000 km and configured to meet national demand across power generation and industrial users, according to officials cited by Kuwait’s Al‑Seyassah daily.

“KOC’s approach aligns with the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation's efforts in the gas sector to reduce reliance on imports,” one source told the paper, framing the upstream programme as part of a wider corporate strategy rather than a standalone field‑scale initiative.

That strategy rests on a blend of new offshore opportunities and incremental gains from onshore developments. Three announced offshore exploration campaigns, in addition to ongoing onshore work, are expected to underpin the planned uplift in both oil and gas output, with executives portraying them as central to Kuwait’s objective of securing a more flexible, lower‑carbon fuel base without undermining its crude export position.

Operational performance already shows signs of the direction of travel. KOC’s non‑associated gas production in 2025 reached 637mn cubic feet, slightly above an annual target of 630mn cubic feet, suggesting that reservoir management and project delivery are tracking ahead of internal expectations. These numbers offer an early indication that Kuwait’s gas story is becoming less aspirational and more tangible.

Infrastructure optimisation is also moving in step with the upstream programme. “The company also succeeded in connecting the two high‑pressure gas export pipelines in western Kuwait that supply the desulphurisation plant, which provided an additional possibility of diverting the flow through the existing 30‑inch export pipeline in order to ensure operational flexibility, allowing for the export of 40mn cubic feet of gas per day,” a source told Al‑Seyassah.