Kuwait City: The Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy in Kuwait has declared that temporary power cuts will be implemented in certain areas of the country during peak consumption times due to the challenge of meeting the rising demand caused by the extreme summer heat.
The scheduled power cuts, lasting up to two hours daily, are the first of their kind as a response to the escalating temperatures brought about by climate change. The Ministry attributed the necessity of these cuts to the power plants' incapacity to cope with the heightened demand during peak hours, exacerbated by the increased temperatures compared to previous years.
On Thursday, the ministry released a timetable of anticipated reductions in various regions of the country, following calls for residents to limit consumption in order to alleviate the strain on power plants.
Kuwait, a major crude producer in Opec, is recognized as one of the hottest desert nations globally.
In recent times, the impact of climate change has led to longer and hotter summer peaks. The intense heat results in increased dependence on energy-consuming air conditioners, which are prevalent in Kuwait during the summer season.
According to Kuwait's Meteorological Department, temperatures approached 50 degrees Celsius on Thursday. Kuwaiti astronomer and scientist Adel Al-Saadoun stated, "What we are witnessing today is a consequence of climate change," and predicted that temperatures would surpass the 50-degree Celsius mark in the upcoming days.
During the previous month, Kuwait secured short-term contracts to purchase 500 megawatts of electricity for the summer period.Kamel Harami, an energy expert from Kuwait, emphasized the necessity for the Gulf state to modernize its energy infrastructure.
Harami stated, "The current energy supply is inadequate, and we must transition from oil and gas to nuclear, solar, and wind energy sources."He added, "This is just the start of the crisis, and scheduled power cuts will persist in the future if we do not expedite the construction of new power plants."
Umm Mohammed, a Kuwaiti woman in her sixties, recounted being without electricity for two hours on Wednesday.
She remarked, "We were not severely impacted," mentioning that the house remained cool during the brief outage. Mohammed highlighted, "Some individuals cool their homes excessively, even when they are absent, which adds to the strain on power plants." — AFP.
