Kuwaiti FM: Al-Wafra power plant “important” for GCC-Iraq grid linkage

Kuwaiti FM: Al-Wafra power plant “important” for GCC-Iraq grid linkage

Kuwait: Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah affirmed, Thursday, the importance of Al-Wafra power-station in the plan to link the GCC grid with southern Iraq.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the GCC power linkage project, an event patronized by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Sheikh Salem said that Al-Wafra power-station would provide around 3,000 megawatts of electricity to the national grid of Kuwait.

Regionally, the station would link the power grids in southern Iraq and the GCC, affirmed Sheikh Salem — also chairman of the board for Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) — adding that contracts were signed for this strategic project with initial construction occurring by 2024.

He revealed that the KFAED’s contribution to the energy sector globally had reached KD 1.6 billion (around USD 5.6 billion), saying that this reflected Kuwait’s keen interest in this sector.

On her part, Minister of Public Works, Water, Electricity and Renewable Energy Dr. Amani Bogammaz said that kick-starting the GCC power-grid project in Kuwait, displayed an increasing interest in boosting energy in the region.

She revealed that the Kuwait Ministry of Electricity and Water and counterparts in the region studied different aspects of the project, which led