Kuwait’s crude oil production capacity has reached 3.2 million barrels per day (bpd), the highest level in more than 10 years, Oil Minister Tariq Al-Roumi said in an interview with local news.
The figure marks a recovery from a decline that saw capacity slip below 3 million bpd after peaking at 3.3 million bpd in 2010.
Earlier this year, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) confirmed that output had again exceeded 3 million bpd. A KPC executive had forecast in 2023 that the country would achieve 3.2 million bpd capacity by 2025 or 2026, as part of a broader plan to raise capacity to 4 million bpd by 2035.
Production capacity has been a point of contention within OPEC+, where output quotas are tied to each member’s capacity. Several countries, including the UAE, Iraq, and Nigeria, have pressed for higher allocations. The UAE secured a higher quota earlier this year, while Angola left the bloc in 2024 following a dispute over its target.
Under the latest OPEC+ agreement, Kuwait will increase production to 2.559 million bpd starting in October, Al-Roumi said. Eight members of the group had earlier agreed to raise collective output by 137,000 bpd next month, extending a policy of gradual hikes after years of production cuts.
Al-Roumi said the group’s decision-making remains flexible, with the option to pause or reverse increases depending on market developments. He expressed optimism about achieving balance in the oil market, noting that global demand is rebounding and crude inventories have fallen below the five-year average.
According to the International Energy Agency, global oil consumption is forecast to rise by 740,000 bpd in 2025 and a further 700,000 bpd in 2026.
OPEC projects even stronger demand growth, at 1.3 million bpd this year and 1.4 million bpd next year.
