Kuwait headed for industrial upraise

30/06/2026

KUWAIT CITY, June 30: The infrastructure development, operation and maintenance project for Shaddadiyah Industrial Area (SIA) has been fully completed at a total cost of KD85.7 million, say reliable sources. Sources disclosed that the objectives of this five-square-kilometer project include the provision of 300 industrial plots for chemical industries, 250 industrial plots for food industries, three industrial waste treatment plants, one sewage treatment plant, and 450 industrial plots for various activities such as paper, textile, non-metallic minerals, wood, construction and other industries. Sources confirmed that the project addresses the problem of limited industrial land, eases approval for industrial activities, and generates job opportunities for Kuwaitis in the industrial sector. Sources added that the project also aims to protect the Kuwaiti environment by developing a safe system for managing industrial waste, ensuring reduced pollution levels and the reuse of treated water.

Sources said this is one of the important industrial projects in the Kuwait 2035 vision, closely monitored by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah and His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. Sources revealed that the project faced several major obstacles, most notably the lack of connection to main roads, and the problem of connecting it to the freshwater pipeline route and certain electrical cables.

Sources affirmed that the Public Authority for Industry (PAI) carefully selected the location of the project in Ahmadi Governorate to align with the facilities near the oil industries, a part of which will be for chemical industries. Sources added that the country allocated 10 percent of the project area to support and develop small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in order to encourage Kuwaiti youths to be active in the industrial sector, and make sure that small businesses are not limited to small-scale enterprises like selling snacks and juices.

By Najeh Bilal Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff