The Ministry of Electricity & Water (MEW) has prepared a policy white paper for discussion and approval by the government that is designed to achieve radical reductions in electricity and water consumption in Kuwait, sources close to the ministry have told MEED.

The white paper defines the framework for far-reaching government action to contain energy and water demand.

The MEED Kuwait Energy & Efficiency Conference was told in early June that on present trends, Kuwait could be burning 700,000 barrels a day (b/d) of crude oil in the country’s power stations by 2030. Oil consumption in power and desalination plants could reach 900,000 b/d in that year, MEW figures show.

Economists warn that this will reduce the amount of oil that Kuwait will be able to export and will eventually result in declining per capita GDP in Kuwait.

Kuwait’s peak energy demand in summer 2012 was 12,000 MW and is rising by at least 6 per cent annually. Delays in delivering required additional power generation capacity has prompted the MEW to identify potential external sources of electricity to provide a capacity margin. The conference was told that Kuwait is negotiating with an unidentified neighbouring country to import 500 MW of power through the Gulf electricity grid in 2014.

Kuwait’s power stations, all of which are owned by the MEW, are increasingly using liquid fuels due to shortages of gas. Kuwait  is importing 500 million standard cubic feet a day of gas to satisfy demand.

The conference was told that energy efficiency measures, including providing district cooling to all new housing developments, could sharply cut Kuwait’s power needs. Demand on present trends is forecast to reach at least 30,000 MW in 2030. Efficiency and energy-saving measures could cut this to about 20,000 MW, MEW officials say.