Sulphur 423 Mar-Apr 2026

23 March 2026
Contract awarded for sour oil field development
The Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) has awarded global oilfield services firm SLB a five-year integrated contract worth about $1.5 billion for the next phase of development at Kuwait’s Mutriba oil field. The contract covers design, development and production management work and builds on SLB’s existing subsurface studies of the Mutriba field. It includes development of high-pressure, high-temperature reservoirs with sour conditions, expanding SLB’s scope as the project moves into more technically complex stages. SLB says that the award reflects its long-standing partnership with KOC and gives the company end-to-end responsibility for planning and execution as field development progresses.
The Mutriba field is an onshore oil development located in northwest Kuwait, in a previously undeveloped area covering more than 230 square kilometres. Commercial production began in June 2025 after KOC connected several wells to production infrastructure, marking it as one of the newest additions to the country’s upstream portfolio. The field is technically challenging, with high-pressure, high-temperature reservoirs and ultra-sour hydrocarbons containing high levels of hydrogen sulphide, requiring specialised technologies and safety design

