Kuwait’s Central Tender Committee has approved the low bid from German/local Siemens Electronics & Electrical Services Company for the contract to build a major substation in Wafra in southern Kuwait.

CTC approval, published on their website on 29 December 2014, is the final step before the Ministry of Electricity & Water awards the contract.

Siemens submitted a price of KD18.9m ($64.5m), followed by the local Al-Ahleia Switchgear Company at KD19.8m.

The 400kV main transformer is due to be commissioned in 2017.

Kuwait is investing heavily in transmission and distribution as peak demand grows at 8 per cent a year. There are currently more than 30 substation projects under execution or tender in the country.

The MEW has forecast that it will require an extra 10,500MW of generating capacity by 2022. However, generation projects urgently needed to prevent shortfalls have been delayed by legal changes.