Kent wins water treatment FEED contract for Saudi-Kuwaiti fields

KHAFJI, October 21, 2025 – UK-based energy services firm Kent has been awarded a FEED contract by Khafji Joint Operations (KJO) for the Khafji Desalter and Water Treatment Plant & Related Facilities (UDWT) in the Partitioned Zone shared by Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, the company announced on Monday.

Kent will design new desalter facilities to support the production of 300,000 bopd over the next 20 years, managing an expected water cut of up to 60%. The facility will include separation and desalting facilities to process up to 315,000 bopd as well as systems to reduce gas flaring.

The company will also address the upgrade of the existing WTF-2 water treatment facility and the expansion of WTF-3 to raise their combined processing capacity to more than 500,000 bopd. Scope of work includes modernising installed equipment and improving the current injection and receiving systems.

The project is scheduled to begin in Q4 2025 and is expected to run for 15 months. It will be led from Kent’s offices in Woking, UK, with support from Kent KSA teams for site surveys and the management of work by domestic contractors.

“We are delighted to have been entrusted once again by KJO with such a significant project. This award reflects the expertise of our people and our ability to design facilities that meet complex operational needs while advancing environmental performance. We look forward to working closely with KJO to deliver a project that supports their long-term production goals,” said Usman Darr, Kent managing director of UK engineering.

Khafji Joint Operations is a joint venture between Aramco Gulf Operations and Kuwait Gulf Oil Company that manages offshore hydrocarbons resources in the Partitioned Zone shared between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Photo courtesy of Kuwait Gulf Oil Company

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