Kuwait Oil Company will clean up a total 17mn cubic metres (m3) of sand that was soaked in oil during Iraq’s occupation of Kuwait in 1990-1991, according company CEO Imad Al-Sultan.
Work will take place in three phases, which will first see 9mn m3 of sand treated in the south of Kuwait, the second will clean 4mn m3 in Umm Al-Aish, Al Rawdatain and Al-Sabriya. The third project will clean the final 4mn m3 of sand, Kuwait state news agency KUNA reported.
The project was awaiting approval from the Central Agency for Public Tenders, and KOC has asked for $3bn from the United Nations’ Compensation Commission for the projects.
Oil & Gas Middle East‘s sister publication Construction Week Online wrote that KOC’s clearance works are slated to finish by 2024, and the company has already removed 2.28mn m3 of contaminated substances from Kuwait. KOC will ultimately build 17 dump sites for pollutants.
