The Kuwait government is trying to tie up an agreement with Qatar that will see it importing electricity from its Gulf neighbour this summer according to news gathering agency Reuters.
“We are still talking with Qatar and studying the agreement. The principle of buying power from Qatar is there but we are now studying the technical conditions,” an unnamed official at the electricity ministry, told Reuters.
If an agreement is reached, Kuwait and Qatar will be the first two countries to take advantage of a new US$1.4 billion Gulf power grid. It is hoped that the new grid will help alleviate power shortages, especially in the summer months when temperatures can reach 50 degrees Celsius.
Tests are currently being carried out on the grid with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait being the first beneficiaries. Oman and the UAE will be connected to the sytem at a later date.
It is though Kuwait will import an additional 500 megawatts (MW) this summer from Qatar.”
“Kuwait has enough power capacity but we need to have reserves in case anything goes wrong. Qatar is the one who has power surplus so they need to export it and benefit,” the unnamed official is quoted by Reuters as saying.
