KUWAIT: HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah chairs an extraordinary meeting of the Cabinet yesterday. - KUNA

KUWAIT: The Cabinet held an extraordinary meeting yesterday at the headquarters of Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company (KIPIC) in Al-Zour, headed by HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. Considering the interest of the Cabinet in the implementation of development projects, the ministers inspected the Al-Zour refinery project and LNG import facilities.

During the tour, the premier was briefed on the various facilities covered by the two projects, the latest developments regarding the workflow and the stages that have been completed. The Oil Minister Mohammad Abdullatif Al-Fares explained to the Cabinet that the Zour refinery is one of the largest international oil refining projects and includes export facilities and an industrial island. It will meet the needs of power plants in Kuwait of environmentally-friendly fuel with low sulfur content.

The refinery - at 98.67 percent completion - is designed according to the highest environmental standards and will help in creating significant employment opportunities for Kuwaiti youth. It is expected to attract investment to the areas adjacent to the project, establish an industrial zone, contribute positively and effectively to the development plan, activate the role of the private sector by providing support jobs after the operation of the project.

Fares also explained that the LNG import facilities project is in line with the strategic plan adopted by KPC until 2030 and is the first of its kind in Kuwait and the largest in the world. It is designed to the highest environmental standards and will contribute to reducing pollution. The project - at 99.57 percent competition - will meet Kuwait's growing natural gas needs for the supply of electricity and the needs of oil refineries and petrochemical industries.

The Cabinet was then briefed on a video presentation on Kuwait's participation in the Dubai 2020 World Expo. The Cabinet was also briefed on a report on the theme park project to stimulate local tourism, events and leisure activities. It then heard an explanation by the Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Rana Al-Fares about the circumstances of the sand collapse that occurred at the site of the new Kuwait International Airport (T2) project under construction, which resulted in the death of two workers. - KUNA