A document obtained by Reuters shows that the Kuwait Oil Company has signed contracts worth $1.73 billion from 2013 until September of this year to rehabilitate soil in oil fields affected by the Iraqi invasion. Iraq completed payments of $52.4 billion in 2022 as compensation to individuals, companies, and governments that proved they suffered damage due to its invasion and occupation of Kuwait in 1990.
The United Nations Compensation Committee, established by the UN Security Council following the seven-month occupation and the defeat of Saddam Hussein's forces by the US during the Gulf War, received a portion of oil sale revenues. The committee approved 1.5 million claims that met the criteria, with claimants receiving $52.4 billion. The largest approved claim, amounting to $14.7 billion, was awarded to the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, of which the Kuwait Oil Company is a subsidiary, for damages caused by Iraqi forces setting oil wells on fire.
According to the document dated October 4, the Kuwaiti oil minister stated that these contracts related to "rehabilitation, treatment, drilling, transportation, and filling cover all affected areas and spaces to be rehabilitated within the oil fields." Minister Saad Al-Barak described these projects in response to a parliamentary inquiry as "one of the largest soil remediation projects in the world currently."
He noted that the UN allocated approximately $3 billion for the rehabilitation of the Kuwaiti environment, indicating that the Kuwait Oil Company has spent $281 million on this matter as of September. The company commenced its activities related to these projects in 2013 after signing a document between the UN and Kuwait concerning the Kuwait Environmental Rehabilitation Program funded by the UN, according to the document.
Al-Barak added that the area of contaminated and affected land within the oil fields due to the Iraqi invasion is estimated to be about 114 square kilometers, and noted that approximately 16 square kilometers of contaminated soil have been removed to Meradim or soil rehabilitation centers to date. He stated, "Work is ongoing to rehabilitate the remaining areas through the implementation of current contracts expected to conclude in 2027-2028."
