No blackouts during Ramadan: Ministry
Kuwait – Assistant Undersecretary for Planning and Training at the Ministry of Electricity and Water Dr. Mishaan Al-Otaibi described the electricity situation as reassuring, and revealed that the new power stations will be operational on schedule.
Al-Otaibi pointed out that the new stations will represent a turning point in the years to come, revealing that there are 120 power projects in the pipeline to the tune of 6 billion Kuwaiti dinars. According to the official, these projects, once completed, will make a huge difference in services provided by the ministry to customers.
The Assistant Undersecretary further noted that the ministry will have a reliable power reserve in 2011/2012, while urging the private sector to take part in the projects to be executed, especially in the Northern Zour Station in 2013.
Regarding distribution networks, the official explained that certain shortcomings are being faced by some networks due to outages, and that maintenance work is underway to fix those problems. He further noted that excessive consumption weakens power stations, adding that rationalized power consumption helps save money for the state.
In the meantime, he disclosed that the ministry has requested experts from Japan to train local manpower on technical matters so that they can acquire skills in maintenance, and
the operation of machines and equipment.
Commenting on the State’s development plan, he pointed out that the plan represents a paradigm shift in the country and commended the manner in which the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of State for Housing and Development Affairs Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, is handling the plan by putting in place mechanisms that can help the concerned authorities to keep track of the plan and assess the progress made. Al-Otaibi expressed hope that the plan will yield the desired results, particularly since it is the first of its kind ever in the country, adding that the plan is measurable and binding.
As Ramadan approaches, Al-Otaibi reassured the general public that the ministry will do its utmost to ensure that there are no blackouts during the Holy Month of Ramadan. He added that all the ministry staff is working day and night to ensure uninterrupted power supplies.
In a related development, the ministry has reportedly begun to outline a plan to develop supply and distribution networks in order to boost the output of power stations.
An official source told Al Watan that the Minister of Electricity and Water Bader Al-Shuraian, since taking office, has embarked on the development of power supply and distribution networks to ensure that power outage does not occur. He added that the efforts include setting out plans to ensure that the lines are not negatively impacted by dust and humidity, and that the plan included envisioning solutions to the Southern Al-Zour supply lines through a tender that can enable the lines to keep up with the load. He disclosed that the network is currently unable to supply 560 Megawatts to the city.
The source also spoke about plans to find solutions to the problems that the ministry currently faces in making use of the Gulf Power Link during peak hours.
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