Construction of $1.7bn utility plant completed in Kuwait
Plant capable of generating 10% of the country’s power requirements
Kuwait has announced the completion of the construction phase of its $1.7-billion Azzour North One, the first independently-owned utility plant in the country and the first PPP project to be tendered. It has now started the launch of its full commercial operation, according to a website posting by owner and operator Shamal Azzour Al Oula.
The power and treated water produced from the plant will be entirely supplied to the country’s national power and water grid operated by Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) under a 40-year long-term energy conversion and water purchase agreement. After the second phase is fully commissioned, the project aims at producing 1,800 MW of electricity and 464,100 cu m a day of desalinated water.
The company recently held a ceremony to mark the official launch of plant operations. The company said the work on the mega project began in December 2013 and was completed on schedule and on budget.
The plant is now capable of generating 10% of Kuwait’s power requirements at peak capacity (1,539 MW) and 20% of water generation (107 million gallons per day), said a Kuwait Times report.
The plant is the first stage of the country’s plan to significantly increase capacity over the coming years, and falls within a larger effort to meet an anticipated peak demand of 25 gigawatts (GW) by 2025.