KUWAIT CITY, June 25: Lately, Kuwait has recorded several power failures, based on an all-time high consumption index that signifies inadequacies and nonperformance at the six power stations across the nation, reports Alam Al-Youm daily. The daily quoted a source as saying the problem stems from delay in carrying out maintenance activities, failure to replace machine parts with original ones, and secondary transformers becoming outdated. Also, the ministry declined to prepare for emergencies, irrespective of the increasing demand for power during this period when the country is witnessed to temperatures rising above 50 degrees Celsius, he stressed.

Moreover, the indicator for power consumption has reached a tight level, reading 10,900 megawatts, amid fears about the unknown happening in the holy month of Ramadan, when the consumption rate becomes high during the day, the source added. The Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) has extended the deadline for bidding for the tender of Southern Zour Station until August to allow more entrepreneurs and companies to bid, especially since the submitted offers were not up to the mark financially and technically, reports Al-Sabah daily.

Inside sources say the decision was taken after MEW realized that the submitted offers were ‘poor’ and were not suitable for the project’s size. The ministry had no choice but to extend, they said, adding “there might be another extension, in case suitable offers are not presented.” Meanwhile, the electricity consumption levels have decreased as the temperatures are not exceeding 48 degrees Celsius even during peak hours. “This helped in reducing the problem of power loading and saved the ministry from implementing programmed power cuts in the country,” add sources.

In an unrelated development, MP Abdulrahman Al-Anjari criticized MP Dr Hassan Jowhar’s proposal on the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry, saying “it did not mention that the chamber was established following an Amiri decree in 1959,” reports Al-Hurriya daily.
Stating that the National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) too was established following an Amiri decree in 1952, Al-Anjari said any Amiri decree issued before the drafting of the Constitution cannot be called off or ignored as long as it isn’t cancelled by another Amiri decree. He added that the Constitutional Court is the entity that decides the constitutionality of the law guiding the chamber’s work.