KUWAIT: As temperatures continue to rise, Kuwait’s electrical load index has been setting new records. On Saturday, the country recorded a new high of 17,360 megawatts at 2 pm, the highest load recorded in the country’s history. It hasn’t been long since Kuwait saw its largest power consumption rate — Thursday’s 17,120 megawatts was the highest load ever registered until Saturday. There’s no indication that the electricity ministry is returning to programmed cuts. But long-term solutions to tackle the country’s electricity crisis were discussed last week at the fifth session of the Arab Japanese Economic Forum held in Tokyo.
Kuwait’s Minister of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy and Minister of State for Housing Dr Mahmoud Bushehri highlighted the country’s goals to increase the percentage of the total produced energy to 30 percent in the next decade. He said the use of renewable and clean energy in producing electricity will help protect the environmental system from pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Kuwait is also striving to upgrade infrastructure and technologies related to the electricity grids’ security and management and energy storage stations, he pointed out. The minister added that Kuwait is also keen on localizing renewable energy technologies to create more high-value job opportunities for nationals.
Bushehri listed some of the measures Kuwait is already taking to increase the efficiency of electricity production. With a view to rationalizing electricity consumption, Kuwait started using smart electricity meters and AI technology. The country is also looking at restructuring the electricity pricing system in hopes of rationalizing consumption, he added.
Cooperation with Japan
He underlined the need for strengthening cooperation between Arab countries and Japan and removing all barriers to energy security and sustainability investments. He also called for encouraging private sectors in both sides to manage and operate advanced and smart energy systems and develop joint training initiatives. At the conclusion of the forum, Japan and Arab ministers agreed on enhancing their cooperation in industrial development, energy and economic security, high-quality infrastructure, digital transformation, low-carbon energy and energy saving and resources development.
Around 700 participants from a wide range of sectors from Japan and the Arab countries took part in the two-day forum. The joint press release said that, at the Public-Private Business and Economic Conference held on Wednesday, the participants confirmed the importance of expanding and deepening mutual economic relations between the two sides, especially through stimulating investment by the Arab side for Japanese companies to diversify the economic relationship. At Wednesday’s gathering, the two sides also agreed to advance the discussion with the aim of promoting and supporting cooperation in sectors such as economic diversification and cooperation for innovation energy, climate change, green products, water, waste management, hydrogen and ammonia, as well as in the field of new technologies, telecommunications, AI, and building resilient supply chains. — Agencies