Kuwait is planning to build a crude oil distillation plant and an asphalt production unit as part of a five-year downstream development strategy, a local newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The government-owned Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) is conducting studies for the two projects, which aim to meet growing domestic needs, the Arabic language daily Alanba said, citing responsible sources in OPEC member.

The studies focus on the evaluation of the local market's needs for petroleum products and the need to upgrade bitumen (asphalt) units at the country's oil refineries, it said.

A preliminary study on the bitumen unit was carried out by the UK's Amec Foster Wheeler and it was approved by the competent authorities, it said.

"KNPC now intends to appoint a company to conduct engineering studies for those projects, which also include the construction of bitumen tanks with a 30-day stockpile capacity," the paper added without mentioning project date or location.

(Writing by Nadim Kawach; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@refinitiv.com)

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