Kuwait advances three major power, water projects with combined capacity of 3,400MW
Kuwait is moving closer to awarding three major electricity and water projects with a combined power generation capacity of 3,400 megawatts and water production of 33 million imperial gallons per day, as joint committees of the Public-Private Partnership Authority and the Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy review bids submitted by competing investors.
The committees are working to complete the technical and financial evaluations, identify preferred investors and proceed with contract awards, paving the way for construction and helping strengthen Kuwait’s electricity and water production capacity. Among the projects making the most progress is Shagaya Renewable Energy Project Phase Three – Project One, which has a planned capacity of 1,100MW.
The technical committee reviewing bids has advanced its assessment and is responding to inquiries from participating consortia ahead of selecting the preferred investor. The project is expected to take around 30 months to complete from the date of contract signing, making it one of the nearest new generation projects capable of adding to Kuwait’s electricity production capacity.
The authorities are also reviewing bids for the second Shagaya project, with a capacity of 500MW, as part of efforts to advance the wider Shagaya Renewable Energy Complex. The project forms part of Kuwait’s renewable energy plans and follows memoranda of understanding concluded between the Kuwaiti and Chinese governments.
Another major project under evaluation is the Al-Khairan Power Generation and Water Desalination Plant – Phase One, which is designed to generate 1,800MW and produce 33 million gallons of water per day. Unlike the Shagaya projects, which will generate electricity using photovoltaic solar technology, Al-Khairan will use combined-cycle gas turbines. Two international consortia are competing for the project, with implementation expected to take around 54 months after the contract is signed.
If technical evaluations for the three projects are completed before the end of this year, contracts could be signed in the first quarter of next year, according to the sources. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Electricity is following developments on the Al-Zour North Power Station phases two and three, which have a planned capacity of 2,700MW and water production of 120 million imperial gallons per day.
The timely implementation of Al-Zour North is expected to provide additional production capacity and ease pressure on Kuwait’s electricity and water systems while the three projects currently under evaluation move through the awarding and construction stages. Authorities are continuing to work to address potential obstacles and maintain the planned timelines for these strategic infrastructure projects, which are central to strengthening Kuwait’s long-term electricity and water security.
