The Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy, through the Authority for Partnership Projects between the Public and Private Sectors, is considering re-issuing the qualification request for the development contract for the following two independent Kuwait projects for the production of water and energy.
MEED reported that the reissue would allow more companies to qualify to bid for the contract, which is expected to be tendered by the middle of the year, reports Al-Qabas daily.
In September 2022, at least 6 utility developers submitted a Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) to the Authority for Partnership Projects regarding contracts for the development of Al-Zour North 2 and 3 and Al-Khairan 1 projects.
According to KPA, the Az-Zour North 2 and 3 and Al-Khairan 1 projects will be developed as two separate contracts. The Az-Zour North 2 and 3 plant will integrate the previously planned second and third phases, and will have a generation capacity of 2,700 MW and a desalination capacity of 120 MIGD.
The Authority for Partnership Projects indicated that the Khairan 1 hydroelectric power station will have a power generation capacity of 1,800 megawatts and a desalination capacity of 33 million gallons per day.
Kuwait is under pressure to expand its power generation capacity as demand increases, as it was reported that peak power demand in the country reached a record high of 15.7 GW in July 2021. Prior to that, the peak load was only 15 GW. The accelerating demand threatens the spare capacity, as the actual operational capacity is less than the total installed capacity of 19 gigawatts.