Kuwait announces power cuts after fuel disruption

Ahram Online , Sunday 18 Aug 2024

Kuwait's Ministry of Electricity, Water, and Renewable Energy announced on Sunday that it would cut electricity to some parts of areas with high energy consumption in order to maintain the stability of the country's electrical system amid high summertime temperatures in the emirate.

Kuwait
File photo- The sun sets behind overhead power lines in Kuwait City. AFP

 

In a press release, the ministry said that the outage was due to a fuel supply disruption that occurred on Saturday, which led to the shutdown of several electricity generator units at Subiya and West Doha power stations as well as desalination plants, the state-run KUNA news agency reported.
The ministry called on the public to conserve electricity during the upcoming peak hours from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm by following the ministry's guidelines, noting that any new updates would be announced. 

The forecast high for Kuwait on Sunday was 43 degrees Celsius (109 Fahrenheit). Weather forecasters warned it could feel like 53 degrees Celsius (127 degrees Fahrenheit), with poor air quality as well.

In late June, Kuwait announced temporary power cuts in some parts of the country during peak consumption hours, saying it is struggling to meet increased demand spurred by extreme summer heat.

It blamed the cuts on "the inability of power plants to meet increased demand" during peak hours amid "a rise in temperatures compared to the same period in previous years."

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