Ministry of Oil Discusses Smart Technology Field Management via 'Codev'

The Ministry of Oil organized a virtual panel discussion titled “KUDIF: How Are Oil Fields Managed Using Smart Technology?”, which presented the Kuwait Integrated Digital Field (KUDIF) project, owned by Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), and its role in developing field and well management through digital technology, data analysis, and operational monitoring. The session featured participation from KOC’s senior petroleum engineers, Ahmed Al-Zidan and Abdullah Al-Musawi.

Sheikha Tamazud Khalid Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Director of Public Relations and Petroleum Media at the Ministry, emphasized that digital transformation is a fundamental pathway for developing the oil sector, given its potential to enhance operational efficiency, improve information accuracy, and accelerate decision-making. She added that the Ministry is keen to highlight digital projects and national experiences that demonstrate the capabilities of Kuwaiti talent in leveraging modern technology, noting that the KUDIF project serves as a practical model for integrating data and operational systems into a cohesive framework that supports field performance and productivity.

Al-Zidan and Al-Mawi presented the project, which falls under the North and West Kuwait Directorate, explaining that it aligns with the “Kuwait Oil 2040” strategy. The project aims to develop field management by providing smart, proactive tools to support decision-making and enhance coordination among technical disciplines.

The project’s journey began with a workshop in 2007, followed by a pilot operation in 2009 covering 49 wells. The main center was established in Ahmadi in 2012. The number of covered wells increased to 183 in 2013, then to 1,200 in 2016, and exceeded 2,500 in 2022, reaching over 5,000 wells by the end of 2025. This expansion coincided with the establishment of a field center in Al-Rawdatayn in 2024.

The system enables the analysis of well data from multiple sources around the clock, providing performance reports, pipeline network information, and production data to employees across various work locations, while maintaining information accuracy and confidentiality.

KUDIF tools include dashboards for monitoring oil, gas, and water production, water injection, well counts, downtime periods, and performance indicators, as well as monitoring pipelines, pressures, temperatures, and production rates.

The project has contributed to improving the distribution of drilling rigs, reducing operational costs, and decreasing reliance on separate software programs by consolidating digital tools into a single system. It has also enhanced well and production center monitoring using modern alarm systems to detect anomalies, and enabled employees to access applications from offices, homes, and mobile phones, thereby supporting workers in remote locations.

The presentation covered the Integrated Well Delivery System, which digitally links well stages from site selection and planning to drilling and production. It automates procedures and sends instant notifications for updates and approvals, thereby speeding up work and improving coordination among technical teams.

The system includes six core capabilities: tracking procedures for closed wells, planning work programs, scheduling and optimizing platforms, managing constraints, reconnecting wells after work completion, and monitoring the effectiveness of well maintenance and repair operations (“workovers”).

The presentation stressed that the success of digital projects requires support from senior management, organizational flexibility, improved data quality and technical infrastructure, as well as addressing contractual and licensing requirements and preparing for change. It also emphasized the importance of qualifying national talent to keep pace with technological developments, noting that the success of digital transformation depends on integrating modern systems with human resources capable of operating them and leveraging them to develop oil operations.