Kuwait signs $3 bln deal to buy gas from BP

KUWAIT: Kuwait signed a five-year liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply deal with BP on Tuesday, worth an estimated $3 billion, as it seeks to meet rising energy demand to power air conditioning during scorching Gulf summers.

Kuwait, a major OPEC oil producer, already signed a $12 billion LNG supply deal with Royal Dutch Shell on Sunday and will also import gas from fellow Gulf state Qatar.

The BP deal, signed by state-run Kuwait Petroleum Corp (KPC), will help Kuwait run its power plants through the hottest time of the year.

KPC expects Kuwait will import a total of around 2.5 million tonnes of LNG, natural gas frozen to a liquid for transport on tankers, per year over the next few years through such contracts, said Nasser al-Mudaf, head of the company's international marketing division.

He was refering to the deals with Shell, BP and state-run Qatargas.

Kuwait began importing LNG in 2009. Over the previous four years it signed deals with Shell and Swiss-based trader Vitol to supply it during the peak power demand period from April to October.