KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait’s National Petroleum Company (KNPC) plans to sign the main contracts awarded to companies to build the Al-Zour oil refinery.
Construction of the 615,000 barrel per day refinery which would be the largest in the Middle East could be a major boost to Kuwait’s economy, which has slowed due to political tensions and low oil prices.
“This is an important milestone,” said CEO Mohammed Al-Mutairi said.
Al-Mutairi said commissioning of the refinery was expected to start in November 2019.
The project cost is about 4.8 billion Kuwaiti dinars ($15.9 billion), he said, adding that KNPC would not seek any external financing.
Commissioning for Kuwait’s Clean Fuel Project is expected to start in April 2018, he said. That project is to upgrade and expand two of Kuwait’s largest refineries to focus on producing higher-value products for export, such as diesel and kerosene.
“We are in the final stages for talking with the government corporate financing, the total project cost is around 4 billion dinars,” he said.
Al-Mutairi said the company would look to finance 70 percent of the project externally and the other 30 percent would be funded internally through the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation.
Sources had said in April that KNPC was in talks with banks to raise a loan worth around $10 billion for the project.
A tender to build a permanent liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal will close in November, with the awarding of contracts for project expected by early 2016, Al-Mutairi said.
The cost of the 3 billion cubic feet per day terminal is about 900 million dinars.
KNPC to sign contracts for Kuwait’s Al-Zour refinery
KNPC to sign contracts for Kuwait’s Al-Zour refinery
Saudi Arabia ranks 2nd globally in digital government, World Bank 2025 index shows
WASHINGTON: Saudi Arabia has achieved a historic milestone by securing second place worldwide in the 2025 GovTech Maturity Index released by the World Bank.
The announcement was made on Thursday during a press conference in Washington, DC, which evaluated 197 countries.
The Kingdom excelled across all sub-indicators, earning a 99.64 percent overall score and placing it in the “Very Advanced” category.
It achieved a score of 99.92 percent in the Core Government Systems Index, 99.90 percent in the Public Service Delivery Index, 99.30 percent in the Digital Citizen Engagement Index, and 99.50 percent in the Government Digital Transformation Enablers Index, reflecting some of the highest global scores.
This includes outstanding performance in digital infrastructure, core government systems, digital service delivery, and citizen engagement, among the highest globally.
Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Suwaiyan, governor of the Digital Government Authority, attributed this achievement to the unwavering support of the Saudi leadership, strong intergovernmental collaboration, and effective public-private partnerships.
He highlighted national efforts over recent years to re-engineer government services and build an advanced digital infrastructure, which enabled Saudi Arabia to reach this global standing.
Al-Suwaiyan emphasized that the Digital Government Authority continues to drive innovation and enhance the quality of digital services, in line with Saudi Vision 2030, supporting the national economy and consolidating the Kingdom’s transformation goals.
The 2025 GTMI data reflects Saudi Arabia’s excellence across key areas, including near-perfect scores in core government systems, public service delivery, digital citizen engagement, and government digital transformation enablers. This balanced performance places the Kingdom firmly in the “Grade A” classification for very advanced countries, demonstrating the maturity of its digital government ecosystem.
Saudi Arabia’s progress in the index has been remarkable: from 49th place in the 2020 edition, to third in 2022, and now second in 2025, confirming its status as a global leader in digital transformation and innovation.
The achievement also reflects the Kingdom’s focus on putting people at the center of digital transformation, enhancing user experience, improving government efficiency, and integrating artificial intelligence and emerging technologies across public services.
