Ministry on high alert as load index nears danger zone

• The 50-degree temperatures boosted electricity use during peak hours, prompting the ministry to consider power cuts in non-residential areas.

• With temperatures expected to reach between 49 and 50 degrees Celsius today (Tuesday) and tomorrow (Wednesday), the state of alert will remain in place until the end of this heatwave.

The Ministry of Electricity, Water, and Renewable Energy was on alert again Monday as the load index reached 17,180, nearing the danger zone due to high temperatures recorded at several monitoring stations, according to Al Rai newspaper.

A responsible source in the ministry told Al-Rai newspaper that the rise in temperature, which reached 50 degrees in some areas, increased electricity consumption rates during peak hours. This prompted the ministry to announce via its electronic accounts the possibility of resorting to cutting off electricity in parts of non-residential areas.

The source added that with temperatures expected to reach between 49 and 50 degrees Celsius today (Tuesday) and tomorrow (Wednesday), the state of alert will remain in place until the end of this heatwave, which meteorologists expect to be the last of the summer.

Sources noted that the ministry reduced loads on Monday by cutting off power to farms in Al-Wafra and Al-Abdali for three hours. They also pointed out that the re-entry of the Subiya units into service, after their shutdown last week, contributed to enhancing the ministry’s production capacity.

On the other hand, Dr. Mahmoud Bushehri, the Minister of Electricity, Water, and Renewable Energy, met with the ministry’s workers’ group to discuss pending worker demands and explore ways to overcome the obstacles.