Kuwait has started a deliberate increase in its oil production and is targeting a return to 2 million barrels per day within a week, company officials said, after conducting repairs to facilities hit during the recent conflict that disrupted exports.
Kuwait Petroleum Corp. Chief Executive Officer Sheikh Nawaf Al-Sabah said in an interview with Bloomberg that the nation had completed sufficient repairs to enable a quicker restoration of output to prewar levels than earlier anticipated. The production plan follows an interim US-Iran peace deal that reopened the Strait of Hormuz, a critical corridor for global oil shipments.
During the war, Kuwait's production fell dramatically, at times dropping to as little as 500,000 barrels a day after attacks on oil fields and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz choked off a key shipping route. The CEO also stated that all force majeure notices that had been issued during the conflict will be lifted "with immediate effect."
The company did not provide further operational details in the interview beyond the timetable for returning to 2 million barrels a day and the statement on lifting force majeure, but the combination of repaired infrastructure and the reopened maritime route was presented as the basis for the accelerated recovery.
Implications for markets and logistics
The decision to scale back up production hinges on two interrelated developments identified by Kuwaiti officials: the completion of repairs to damaged energy infrastructure and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The strait’s reopening was noted in connection with an interim US-Iran peace agreement and was described as enabling a faster resumption of exports.
Officials highlighted the immediate administrative step of withdrawing force majeure notices that had been declared during wartime disruptions. That action signals a transition from emergency measures toward normal commercial operations, according to the company's statement to the press.
Details on the phasing of the production ramp or on downstream logistics were not provided in the interview summary. The company framed the development as a recovery to prewar capacity, contingent on the maintained operability of repaired infrastructure and the continuation of open shipping lanes.