Kuwait pushes ahead with major power projects to boost capacity by 14,000 MW
As part of its strategy to strengthen national energy security, the Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy is moving forward with a portfolio of major projects that will add roughly 14,000 megawatts of electricity generation over the next decade.
The plan includes 9,000 MW from gas-turbine stations and 5,000 MW from solar energy, aligning with Kuwait’s goal of meeting rising demand and supporting the development plan, reports Al-Rai daily.
According to ministry experts, Kuwait — long dependent on fossil-fuel power plants — is now working toward a strategic target of generating 15 percent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2030. This shift has revived a central question: Which technologies are best suited to Kuwait’s needs—gas-fired plants or large-scale solar power?
Experts stress that a fair comparison must consider not only the direct cost of producing a kilowatt, but also the levelized cost of energy (LCOE), which reflects subsidies, backup requirements, storage needs, and grid stability.
While solar energy is clean and environmentally friendly, its real cost significantly increases when deployed at national scale due to several factors:
- Output fluctuates with dust, clouds, and weather conditions.
- Backup gas plants or storage systems are required to maintain continuous supply.
- Solar plants with battery storage have substantially higher capital costs.
- Additional investment is needed in peak-load generation and transmission networks.
Experts cite a recent Gulf project—a 1,000 MW hybrid solar plant supplying a data center—with a capital cost of around US $6 billion.
By contrast, a combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant of the same capacity costs only US $1.5–2 billion, making it five times cheaper and able to operate 24/7 with high efficiency and rapid response to load changes.
This reliability, they say, makes modern gas units the backbone for grid stability.
