Weekend sees drop in power consumption; expected to rise again Sunday

Electricity consumption in Kuwait decreased over the weekend, with the load index dropping compared to last Wednesday and Thursday, when power demand surged to 17,000 megawatts due to extreme heat reaching 49°C.

Sources from the Ministry of Electricity informed Al-Rai that Friday’s reduced power load allowed outages to be limited to agricultural and industrial zones only. On Saturday, the national grid managed to meet demand without the need for scheduled power cuts, thanks to the available generation capacity.

However, sources anticipate that electricity loads will rise again on Sunday with the full resumption of work in government offices, potentially prompting power cuts in industrial, agricultural, and select residential areas to balance supply and demand. A slight drop in temperature to 47°C may help ease the load, though not significantly.

The ministry stressed that it currently has no immediate solutions to the electricity crisis beyond urging citizens and residents to reduce consumption during peak hours.

Officials explained that the Power Plants Sector is working diligently to bring maintenance units back online to boost production capacity. These efforts are being supported by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) power grid.
On Saturday, the load index recorded 16,300 megawatts, while the temperature remained at 49°C.