Al-Adwani: 'Murtaba' Opens a New Era for Exploration

As the global oil industry accelerates the development of discoveries and improves spending efficiency, the experience of the Murtiba oil field stands out as a model for overcoming technical challenges and achieving commercial benefits from oil and gas resources, alongside expansion plans to reach a production capacity of 91,000 barrels per day within five years. These were the opening remarks of Talal Al-Adwani, Director of the New Discoveries Group at Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), in an interview with Al-Nahar, emphasizing that this represents a model for accelerating field development compared to other experiences that took longer to reach similar production levels. With these words, Al-Adwani began his interview with Al-Nahar, stressing that the Murtiba experience serves as a model for accelerating field development and converting discoveries into production efficiently and effectively.

Al-Adwani added that the Murtiba oil field represents one of the important milestones in the exploration and development journey of KOC, having transitioned from the discovery phase to commercial production after years of studies, tests, and development. This experience reflects the importance of planning, investing in modern technology, and the integrated efforts of technical and operational teams.

In his interview with Al-Nahar, Al-Adwani was highly candid and did not hold back, outlining the key features of the Murtiba field experience, plans for developing surrounding fields, and achievements in exploration, as well as the role of institutional transformation, digital technologies, and artificial intelligence in accelerating development and production processes.

He clarified that KOC had previously applied models for leveraging global expertise in gas production development, particularly when the company began expanding in this field at the turn of the millennium. The company benefited from the expertise of global firms, including Schlumberger and Shell, in consulting, technical services, and knowledge transfer to national cadres. He pointed out that the significance of these experiences lies in their ability to leverage accumulated global expertise rather than starting from scratch, thereby saving time, effort, and costs, and contributing to improved project execution efficiency.

Further details from the interview:

- First, what is the significance of Murtiba entering the production phase after many years since its discovery? What were the main challenges faced in its development?

- Murtiba remained out of production for a long time for technical and commercial reasons, despite having significant production potential. The field has high sulfur content, particularly in associated gas volumes, which posed major challenges for its development according to prevailing technical and commercial requirements at the time. During that period, we drilled a number of delineation and development wells to evaluate the field’s production capabilities and confirm its commercial viability. After approximately 17 years since its discovery, the field entered the production phase, representing a significant achievement for KOC.

- Where lies the importance of the Murtiba field experience as an exploration case?

- The importance of this experience lies in our success in handling production with high sulfur content and transforming it into a project suitable for safe operation and commercial investment. This required integrated work across various company teams, along with careful planning and perseverance in addressing technical challenges. We recently celebrated the first anniversary of production commencement, and operational results have been better than anticipated, reflecting the success of efforts made during various development stages.

- Can Murtiba be considered a new model in oil project management and field development?

- The Murtaba experience is not new in principle, but it represents an evolution in project management style and accelerates the transition from discovery to commercial production. Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) has previously applied models that leverage global expertise in gas production development, particularly when the company began expanding in this field at the turn of the millennium. We benefited from the expertise of global companies, including Schlumberger and Shell, in consulting, technical services, and knowledge transfer to our workforce. The significance of these experiences lies in their ability to allow us to draw on accumulated global expertise rather than starting from scratch, thereby saving time, effort, and costs, and contributing to improved project execution efficiency. In the case of Murtaba, this concept was developed through a comprehensive project management contract, granting the contractor a broader role in managing drilling operations, supplying materials, and executing production-related works, under a contractual mechanism that ties financial compensation to performance and production volumes. The project was announced and its contract signed during the Kuwait Oil and Gas Show (KOGS), in the presence of His Highness the Prime Minister, as part of a strategy aimed at leveraging global expertise while safeguarding the investments of Kuwait Oil Company and the State.

- What are the key features of the second phase of the field’s development? What are the production targets?

- The field has now entered a new development phase, following the successful demonstration of the commercial viability of production during the pilot phase. In the first phase, Kuwait Oil Company established a facility capable of receiving and processing high-sulfur production, which enabled the testing of the field’s operational and commercial potential. The development plan aims to reach production levels of approximately 91,000 barrels per day over a period of up to five years, alongside the production of around 90 million cubic feet of associated gas per day. These targets reflect the importance of accelerating the development of discovered fields, utilizing available resources, and converting them into commercial production that adds value to the national economy.

- Accelerating field development and maximizing returns

- You mentioned reducing the time required to convert discoveries into production. How is this achieved at Kuwait Oil Company?

- Globally, the transition from field discovery to first production can take around eight years, due to the multiple stages involved, including data collection, seismic surveying, drilling appraisal wells, conducting commercial feasibility studies, and preparing the Field Development Plan (FDP). However, we have worked to reduce this duration through organizational changes implemented by the company in 2023 and 2024, as part of the KOC Transformation program, and by establishing a more specialized system to accelerate the development of discovered fields. We have succeeded in reducing the targeted timeframe for transitioning from discovery to production stages to approximately three or four years, a level that reflects significant progress in project management efficiency. Kuwait Oil Company has prior experiences, particularly in heavy oil projects in the Um Qa’iq and Bahra areas, where technical teams accelerated the transition from exploration and evaluation phases to production. Today, we have moved from practically benefiting from these experiences to institutionalizing them within a framework aimed at accelerating field development and reducing the time required to reach commercial production.

- What are the key fields you are currently developing? Is the focus limited to Murtaba?

- Our focus is on the Mutriba area and its surroundings. Mutriba represents the core field in this region, but there is a group of other fields and discoveries that can be developed and utilized, including Homah, Adhirah, and Shuhum. We view Mutriba as a central hub for developing surrounding fields, what we call the “Mutriba Hub,” where the field serves as a starting point to connect and comprehensively develop adjacent fields. This vision enables better utilization of infrastructure and facilities, and the coordinated development of existing resources in the region through an integrated plan, rather than treating each field in isolation. Moreover, the development plan over the next five years will enhance efficiency and boost production capacity, reflecting the company’s strategy to accelerate the development of discovered fields and maximize the utilization of their resources.

Technology and Artificial Intelligence: Toward Digital Fields

Al-Adwani emphasized expanding the use of digital technology in field management. Mutriba is among the projects where we are testing the potential of remote operations, aiming toward a model of fields that do not require constant on-site human presence, known as “Unmanned Fields.” He added that this approach is particularly important for fields located in remote areas, as it relies on cloud computing, automation, artificial intelligence, and digital monitoring and control systems to enable remote monitoring and operation of processes, improve operational efficiency, and reduce the need for constant on-site presence in distant locations.

He noted that Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) has made significant progress in implementing digital field systems, with remote monitoring and control becoming an integral part of managing many operations.

National Workforce and Knowledge Transfer

Al-Adwani affirmed his belief that Kuwaiti professionals possess distinctive capabilities, are ready to view challenges from different perspectives, seek innovative solutions, and demonstrate a strong sense of national pride and commitment to the success of the projects they work on. He added that, through his professional experience and his presidency of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) in the Middle East, he recognizes the importance of exchanging expertise and strengthening communication between national talents and global experts.

He argued that the success of the Mutriba project does not rely solely on technology, but also on national competencies capable of leveraging these technologies, developing them, and transforming them into practical solutions suited to the nature and needs of the local working environment. He clarified that engaging global expertise must be accompanied by knowledge transfer to national staff, enabling them to manage and develop operations in the future, thereby enhancing the sustainability of expertise within KOC.

National personnel remain a fundamental element in achieving the company’s objectives, whether in accelerating field development, improving production efficiency, expanding new exploration efforts, or adopting advanced digital solutions.