Count on Kuwait
Kuwait thankful for cuts after missing output targets
Kuwait has temporarily dodged a bullet. Its Opec commitment for a cut of 131,000 barrels a day, to keep production beneath 2.75m b/d, has shifted scrutiny away from the country's failing plan to reach output of 4m b/d by 2020. Instead, the focus is on how and where state-run Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) will make the cuts. Its job has involuntarily become easier: KPC missed a 3m b/d production target in 2016. The confidential results of KPC's assessment of its oil wells is due in late January and will identify the wells that would benefit most from unplanned maintenance, thus stemming output. The list will not be long and will likely prioritise work at mature wells to preserve their lo
Also in this section
9 January 2026
OPEC+ remains on track as output falls, with only Gabon failing to hit its output targets in December, although Kazakhstan’s compliance was involuntary
9 January 2026
The Latin American producer’s crude prospects rely on a multi-pronged approach where even the relatively easy wins will take considerable time, effort and cost
9 January 2026
While many forecasters are reasserting the importance of oil and gas, petrostates should be under no illusion things are changing, and faster than they might think
8 January 2026
Indonesia and Malaysia are at the dawn of breathtaking digital capabilities. Their energy infrastructure must keep up with their ambitions
