KUWAIT CITY, July 2: Minister of Electricity and Water Dr Bader Al-Shuraiaan reportedly gave ‘secret’ instructions to Undersecretary for Distribution Network Sector Saleh Al-Muslim to switch off the security alarms of transformers to ensure that there are no power cuts in any parts of the country, reports Al-Shahid daily.
Sources say Al-Muslim, in turn, instructed all engineers, contractors and technicians to implement this directive in spite of the hazards involved.
The security systems alert the distribution centers whenever there is a malfunction and a message appears on a screen and a team is sent to fix it immediately. “These days, however, whenever a security alert comes, it is wiped immediately,” say sources, adding “an evidence of this is the Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh transformer case in which three firefighters were left dead. Oil leaked from the transformer and since did not have the said security system, the accident could not be averted.”
Stressing that the security system is necessary to protect transformers, sources said the minister was more bothered about the criticism the ministry faces from the press and MPs.
Meanwhile, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) has started working on the project of generating electricity from wind and two turbines have already been installed, one at KISR and the other in Al-Salmi area, a senior official at KISR Dr Salem Al-Hajraf told Arrouiah daily.
Dr Al-Hajraf is in-charge of studying the environmental, technical and economic feasibility of producing electricity from renewable energy sources at KISR.
He disclosed that KISR will install five small air turbines for energy production next week.
In the meantime, a former minister revealed some serious and important documents about a company, which has allegedly been dealing with the Ministry of Electricity and Water since 1999 and possesses large tenders even if it was canceled from the German registry, reports Al-Shahid daily quoting sources.
Sources revealed the local agent of the company, banking on his influence at Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and ministry as everyone seems willing to satisfy him. Sources quoted the former minister as saying that the local agent presented a registration certificate of the agency, issued in Yemen for the German company in 1967.
Due to parliamentary pressure and influence, the renewal of the same agency was issued without any official notes affirming the continuation of the company, while the German mother company announced its bankruptcy in 1999, sources added.