Kuwait Oil Co may use solar for oil extraction

Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) is in talks with companies to use solar energy, chiefly from concentrated solar power (CSP), for oil extraction, The National reported on Saturday, citing a company official.

Speaking at Menasol in Dubai last week Raed Sherif, who is a senior consultant at KOC, said that KOC was looking at solar for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) to help meet the government's 15% renewable energy target and reduce energy imports.

Solar is being considered as a cheaper alternative to using imported natural gas or petroleum to produce steam for EOC. California-based Glasspoint Solar Inc was cited as saying that solar steam could supply most of Kuwait’s thermal EOR demand at half the price of these fuels.

GlassPoint is currently building the 1-GW Miraah solar thermal park in Oman to generate steam for EOR.

There is potential for the technology in Kuwait as, according to Glasspoint, the country's planned EOR projects could be some of the biggest in the world.

GlassPoint major shareholders include Royal Dutch Shell Plc (AMS:RDSA) and the State General Reserve Fund (SGRF) in Oman. The company’s technology involves the use of large, curved mirrors to focus sunlight on a boiler tube containing water to produce steam. That steam is used to heat and extract heavy oil, avoiding the burning of large volumes of natural gas for steam generation.

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