KUWAIT: State-run Kuwait Oil Tanker Company (KOTC) said on Monday that work is underway to build two new solar power plants as part of national plans aiming to attain energy efficiency. The construction of the two solar plants is part of the state’s goals to invest in and adopt renewable energy sources, said KOTC Acting Chief Executive Sheikh Khaled Al-Sabah during a ceremony to launch the project, underlining the "environment-friendly” nature of the endeavor.
The project is in line with a national energy transformation strategy that seeks to reach net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by the year 2050, added the official, citing a number of measures KOTC has taken to cut carbon emissions. Sheikh Khaled explained this project will provide 7 megawatts of electricity, which is equivalent to 16,000 barrels of oil per year, and will cut emissions of 8,360 tons of greenhouse gases annually. He added the power will be used to supply two liquefied gas bottling plants in Shuaiba and Um Al-Aish.
The new power plants are an "innovative and unprecedented” approach towards building a "vibrant” energy infrastructure, according to KOTC’s renewable energy projects supervisor Saad Al-Qahtani. He said the project also allows the private sector the chance to contribute towards state endeavors. Upon completion, the pair of solar plants will be a major step forward in providing adequate power supply sources in Kuwait, he added.
CEO of Life Energy (the executing company of the project), Hamad Al-Radhan, expressed his gratitude for giving the company the opportunity to implement this important project. He praised the role of KOTC in supporting such projects in the field of renewable energy, which will play a major role in diversifying energy sources. – KUNA