KUWAITI CRUDE OIL PRODUCTION

File: cia_70558_60912_01.txt
Page: 01
Total Pages: 1
Subject: KUWAITI CRUDE OIL PRODUCTION  
Not Finally Evaluated Intelligence 
 
TO FACILITATE ELECTRONIC ACCESS, THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN 
REFORMATTED TO ELIMINATE INFORMATION THAT DOES NOT PERTAIN 
TO GULF WAR ILLNESS ISSUES OR THAT IS CLASSIFIED. A COPY OF 
THIS REDACTED DOCUMENT, IN ORIGINAL FORMAT, IS AVAILABLE ON 
REQUEST. 
 
CITE CIA 925424 
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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY 
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NOT FINALLY EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE 
 
 
OCTOBER 1991 
 
COUNTRY: KUWAIT 
 
SUBJ: 1. SEPTEMBER 1991 KUWAITI CRUDE OIL PRODUCTION AND 
WELL CONTROL ACTIVITY 
          2. UPDATE ON A KUWAITI RECONSTRUCTION EFFORTS AS 
OF MID SEPTEMBER 
 
TEXT: 1. ON 13 SEPTEMBER 1991, CRUDE OIL PRODUCTION IN     
KUWAIT REACHED 200,000 BARRELS PER DAY    (BPD). AS OF 16 
SEPTEMBER 1991 A TOTAL OF 415 WELL FIRES HAD BEEN 
EXTINGUISHED.  A TOTAL OF 17 FIRE FIGHTING CREWS WERE 
AT WORK CONTAINING THE WELL FIRES, AT A RATE OF 
APPROXIMATELY FIVE WELLS PER DAY.  TEN WELLS WERE CAPPED OR 
OTHERWISE BROUGHT UNDER CONTROL DURING A 24-HOUR PERIOD ON 
13 SEPTEMBER 1991. 
 
COMMENT: WELL CAPPING EFFORTS ARE NO LONGER BEING 
PRIORITIZED BUT DEALT WITH ON A ROUTINE BASIS.  SEVERAL 
FIRES INITIALLY THOUGHT TO BE UNCONTAINABLE HAVE BEEN 
AFFECTED BY DRAMATIC DROPS IN PRESSURE WHICH NO  LONGER 
MAKES THEM AS FORMIDABLE AS ONCE THOUGHT. FIRE FIGHTING 
CREWS ARE SLOWLY WORKING WEST, SOUTH AND NORTH AWAY FROM THE 
CITY WHERE THE FIRST WELL CAPPING EFFORTS WERE CONDUCTED. 
ALTHOUGH THERE ARE CURRENTLY 17 CREWS AT WORK ON THE WELL 
FIRES, NOT ALL ENJOY THE SAME DEGREE OF PROFESSIONALISM AND 
SUCCESS.) 
                                                              
AS OF  MID SEPTEMBER 1991 FOUR GATHERING STATIONS HAVE BEEN 
REPAIRED AND TURNED BACK OVER TO THE GOK ALTHOUGH THEY WERE   
NOT YET OPERATIONAL. 
 
3. AS OF MID SEPTEMBER 1991, APPROXIMATELY 90,000 BARRELS OF 
"WEATHERED" CRUDE HAD BEEN RECOVERED FROM THE LAKES OF CRUDE     
LAYING ON THE GROUND SURROUNDING THE FIRES. 
                                                            
COMMENT: AT SOME POINT IN TIME, MAYBE  BY 1996,  ALL THE 
CRUDE OIL STANDING IN THESE LAKES WILL HAVE TO BE REMOVED AS 
IT WILL BEGIN TO AFFECT ENVIRONMENTALLY THE WATER TABLES 
UNDERGROUND.   HOWEVER, FOR THE NEAR TERM, THE STANDING 
CRUDE IS NOT A PROBLEM AS THE SAND FORMATION IN THE AREA IS 
QUITE TIGHT AND  IS SLOWING DOWN THE SEEPAGE PROCESS INTO 
THE UNDERGROUND WATER TABLES.