Summer Power Shortages Loom For Kuwait In 2024

It is possible that the country could experience an electricity shortage during the summer in the coming years if no immediate measures are taken to prevent the potential shortage, reports Al-Qabas daily. It was reported that studies projected a shortage of electricity; considering the current capacity of power plants reached 18,500 megawatts, and the highest consumption was recorded in the summer of 2023 at 16,900 megawatts, whereas the available energy was only 17,250 megawatts.

According to sources, the existing power generating plants are not guaranteed to meet their capacity because they are old and some have passed their operational life, but no measures have been taken to replace them, so some units may not function during peak hours. During the peak of summer in 2024, the shortage is expected to reach 1,000 megawatts, increasing to 2,000 megawatts in 2025 and 2,500 megawatts in 2026.

There are many reasons why the Gulf power link cannot cover this shortage, as it depends on so many variables. Considering the production capacity of Gulf countries, the peak loads coincide with the same peak load period in Kuwait and the Gulf power link has limited capacity that is not sufficient to cover the expected energy shortage.

According to sources, the Ministry of Electricity and Water has proposed seeking the help of international investors and developers to build power plants and water production plants. However, this step was opposed by the Public-Private Partnership Projects Authority, which prefers to keep the power generation plants project on track through the partnership system. Sources said the Council of Ministers had earlier instructed the ministry to take the necessary steps to prevent the power shortage, but no action has been taken so far. Additionally, they cited the delayed completion of Subiya Power Station, which has a capacity of 900 megawatts, and the cancellation of the tender as contributing factors.

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