The government of Kuwait recently pushed the closing date for bids to build eight gas turbines from mid-December 2001 to January 2, 2002. Germany's Siemens, General Electric of the United States, France's Alstom and Mitsubishi of Japan are expected to compete for the project.
Four turbines, with a generating capacity of 100-160 megawatt each, are to become operational in mid-2003, while the remaining four units are expected go online the next year. The first power sector project to be offered to private investors, the tender is part of a larger 780 million Kuwaiti dinar ($2.5 billion) power and water project.
The first power and water desalination plant, with a 2,500 megawatt (MW) capacity, will be built in the Southern Al-Zour region, at an estimated cost of KD130 million and financed by the government. The second—a two-part 1,000 MW dual cycle plant to be built in Shuaiba, south of Kuwait City, and in Subbiya north of the capital—will cost KD553 million and will be built under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) formula.
As part of government plans to privatize basic services, Kuwait is seeking investors to boost the country’s energy capacity by 1,000 megawatts by 2004. However, the government’s moves to offer private power projects have been hesitant. Kuwait currently operates five power plants, with production capacity of 8,000MW per hour of electricity and 250 million imperial gallons (1.14 billion liters) of water daily. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
