Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) is Kuwait’s state-owned, fully integrated energy company, established in 1980 to oversee the country’s hydrocarbon sector. Through its operating subsidiaries—including Kuwait Oil Company (upstream), Kuwait National Petroleum Company (refining), Kuwait Oil Tanker Company (shipping), Kuwait Petroleum International (international downstream, “Q8”), Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (overseas E&P), and Petrochemical Industries Company (chemicals)—KPC manages exploration and production, refining, marketing, transport, and global retail activities.
For the chemical industry, KPC plays a significant role via Petrochemical Industries Company and joint ventures such as EQUATE, participating in the production of olefins, aromatics, and derivative products used across plastics, packaging, and industrial value chains. Its domestic refining system—including the large Al-Zour site and upgraded Mina Al Ahmadi and Mina Abdullah refineries—supplies key petrochemical feedstocks (e.g., naphtha, LPG) alongside fuels and sulfur for export. Internationally, KPC’s Kuwait Petroleum International markets fuels and lubricants under the Q8 brand. KPC also pursues operational efficiency and emissions-reduction initiatives as part of Kuwait’s broader energy strategy while maintaining reliable supply to regional and global markets.
