KUWAIT CITY, Dec 3: Information gathered indicates a 4.3% upswing in the local market's utilization of cooking gas cylinders for households during the fiscal year 2022/2023. The figure rose to 15.61 million cylinders, up from 14.96 million in the comparative fiscal year 2021/2022.

The data underscores Kuwait's daily consumption of gas cylinders at 42.76 thousand cylinders per day, meeting residential needs. This increase is attributed to the ongoing urban expansion evident in new housing developments and the population surge, now standing at 4.6 million people.

The statistics reveal that the Shuaiba and Umm Al-Aish regions' two liquefied gas cylinder filling factories collectively produced approximately 16.506 million cylinders of various sizes during the fiscal year 2022/2023. Simultaneously, the distribution rate of 12 kg gas cylinders for household use reached about 15.610 million cylinders.

With 76 branches strategically positioned across all regions of Kuwait, the Kuwait Oil Tanker Company manages two gas factories, namely the Shuaiba and Umm Al-Aish facilities. The recently established Umm Al-Aish factory caters to the needs of the northern region and new cities, aligning with the housing plan of the Public Authority for Housing Welfare.

The project incorporates cutting-edge technology, employing Flex Speed technology in the filling centers. This allows for dynamic control of production capacity based on the fluctuating demand for liquefied gas in the local market. The project features six buried tanks designed for optimal efficiency, meeting the highest international safety and quality standards. Additionally, it includes maintenance workshops, administrative buildings, and a fleet for gas transportation.

In a separate development, "Oil Tankers" plans a special project to construct a workshop for rehabilitating 12 kg and 25 kg cylinders, along with a workshop to dye the locks at the liquefied gas filling plant in the Shuaiba area. This initiative, with an approved cost of 630 thousand dinars, is scheduled for completion by June 2024, instead of the initially planned March 2023 deadline.