Air-conditioners consume bulk of power in Kuwait: Minister

KUWAIT: Minister of Oil and Minister of Electricity and Water Essam Al-Marzouq said yesterday air-conditioners consume 70 percent of the power in Kuwait. The minister, speaking at inauguration of a workshop themed “power efficiency and cooling technology,” revealed that the ministry, this year shifted surplus of electricity to another GCC country via the Council power grid, indicating that power was saved due to rationing plans.

The ministry has addressed the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to ensure that new buildings be equipped with powersaving technology. Chairman of the Kuwaiti Society of Engineers, Faisal AlEtel, said the gathering aims at discussing means of securing clean energy, cautioning that power consumption in the country is rising due to growth of construction and the population. The society has proposed establishing an apparatus to manage the power consumption. Meanwhile, Dr Hilal Al-Mkhaini, director of the energy department at the GCC General Secretariat, called for making use of expertise of European and foreign experts taking part in the workshop, organized by the Kuwaiti society. Luci Burger, commercial representative of the EU in Riyadh, noted necessity of cooperation between the GCC and the EU in the energy field.

Clean energy conserves the environment and saves money, she has pointed out. Frank Wouters, Director of the EUGCC Clean Energy Technology Network, has affirmed that the EU devotes special attention to cooperation with the GCC countries in the field of effective energy noting that it adopted the 2020 strategy for renewable energy to cope with the mounting consumption of power in the EU countries. —KUNA