KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait will add 14.05 gigawatts of electricity generation capacity by 2031, the energy minister said Saturday, as the Gulf state races to meet surging demand and avoid future power shortages.
Subaih Al-Mukhaizim, minister of electricity, water and renewable energy, said the country successfully navigated the summer of 2025 despite extreme heat, with peak electricity load falling 0.17% year-on-year — defying forecasts of a 4% increase.
The expansion plan includes major projects such as the second and third phases of the Al-Zour North power plant, totaling 2.7 GW, signed in August with a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power and the Gulf Investment Corporation. The deal, valued at over 1 billion dinars ($3.27 billion), is backed by local and international banks.
Renewable energy is also central to the strategy. The Shagaya project will contribute 4.6 GW across four phases, with the first two built under a public-private partnership and the latter phases developed in cooperation with China.
The Khairan power and desalination plant will add 1.8 GW in its first phase, with bidding opened to pre-qualified consortiums in September. Meanwhile, parts of the 7.2 GW Nuwaiseeb project are scheduled for completion beyond 2031, according to ministry spokesperson Fatma Abbas Johar Hayat.
Kuwait, a major oil producer, has faced rolling blackouts since last year due to rapid population growth, urban expansion, extreme temperatures and maintenance delays at aging facilities.