Tamadhar Al-Khalid: Investing in Technology and Human Resources to Build an Oil Sector Capable of Responding to Future Challenges

In a statement during a virtual panel discussion organized by the Ministry today under the title “KODIF: How Are Oil Fields Managed Using Smart Technology?”, Sheikh Tamadur Al-Sabah outlined the Integrated Kuwait Digital Field (KODIF) project, which is affiliated with Kuwait Oil Company (KOC). She emphasized that the future of the oil industry is increasingly tied to its ability to leverage modern technology and transform operational data into practical tools that enhance performance and productivity.

She noted that the Ministry of Oil places special emphasis on raising awareness of digital projects and smart applications within the oil sector, highlighting national experiences that demonstrate the capacity of Kuwaiti technical and engineering expertise to keep pace with technological advancements and utilize them to develop the work environment.

She added that the KODIF project represents an important model for practical applications of digital transformation in Kuwait’s oil industry by integrating data and operational systems into a comprehensive framework that enables monitoring of field and well performance and supports coordination among various technical disciplines. This reflects the importance of transitioning from traditional operational management methods to a digital environment based on accurate information and continuous analysis.

For their part, Ahmed Al-Zidan, Chief Petroleum Engineer at Kuwait Oil Company, and Abdullah Al-Mousawi presented the KODIF project, which falls under the North and West Kuwait Directorate of KOC. They pointed out that the project aims to provide a smart, proactive system to support decision-making and assist the company in addressing operational challenges and achieving its strategic objectives through collaborative work methods that bring together various technical disciplines.

They clarified that the project aligns with KOC’s 2040 Strategy, which includes developing a digital strategy and implementing a digital transformation framework to achieve operational excellence. This is accomplished by leveraging modern technologies to enhance oil field management, improve operational monitoring efficiency, and advance data analysis.

They also outlined KOC’s operational areas, which include North Kuwait, West Kuwait, South and East Kuwait, as well as heavy oil and gas operations. They noted the diversity of production facilities, boosting stations, and water facilities, along with the technical and operational requirements associated with these operations, which necessitate the presence of integrated digital systems to support monitoring and coordination.

Regarding the historical phases of the project, Al-Zidan and Al-Mousawi stated that the digital transformation journey began with the first workshop in 2007, followed by a pilot implementation phase in 2009 covering 49 wells, before transitioning to the establishment of the main center in Ahmadi in 2012.

They recalled that the project underwent successive expansions, with the number of wells covered by the system reaching 183 in 2013, then rising to 1,200 wells in 2016, and exceeding 2,500 wells in 2022 as part of an expansion phase aimed at covering all wells.

They stated that the project’s journey included the establishment of the field center in Rawdatain in 2024, before the system’s coverage expanded to include more than 5,000 wells in 2025, with further expansion in West Kuwait and heavy oil operations, reflecting the gradual development in the scope of applying digital systems within oil operations.

They emphasized that one of the project’s key operational advantages is the ability to analyze various well-related data from multiple sources on a continuous, round-the-clock basis. Additionally, it provides employees at various work locations with access to information and reports on well performance, pipeline networks, and production using modern devices and digital applications, while maintaining the confidentiality and accuracy of the information. This contributes to saving time and effort and facilitates access to operational data.

They added that the system is distinguished by its speed in extracting results and reports in various formats tailored to the needs of specialized staff, alongside providing modern communication tools for monitoring performance and coordinating tasks across the company’s different departments, even in cases where operational sites are widely dispersed or information transfer is difficult.

They pointed out that the project relies on a team comprising representatives from various company departments, enabling a unified vision of work plans and enhancing coordination among technical disciplines to achieve common objectives.

They clarified that KODIF contributed to reducing costs and improving work quality by organizing drilling rig distribution operations, which helped cut operational expenses and increased the rigs’ capacity to handle a larger number of wells. It also facilitated the development of 24/7 monitoring of wells and production centers, leveraging broader operational data and modern alert systems to detect anomalies in data received from the smart field, thereby enhancing the ability of specialized teams to monitor operations.