The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development said that 15 percent of the Gulf electrical interconnection expansion project with Kuwait has been completed until March 2023.
The Authority said in a press statement that the interconnection project between the GCC Interconnection Authority (GCCIA) and Kuwait is one of the essential infrastructure projects approved by the Council to reduce the required reserves among the member states, benefit from the surplus, and reduce the cost of production.
The statement added that the project to establish the Wafra station comes within the expansion projects to connect the GCCIA's network with Kuwait's network through four circuits of 400 kV transmission at a total cost of $270 million to ensure the continuity and sustainability of electrical energy security at all times.
Kuwait will be among the largest beneficiaries of the project, as it will raise the capacity supporting the local electricity network to about 3,500 megawatts. It will also enable the Authority to supply southern Iraq with electric power of 500 megawatts.
The project consists of a double-circuit overhead line with a voltage of 400 kV from the al-Fadili station in Saudi Arabia to the Kuwaiti al-Wafra station, with a length of about 300 km.
It also converts the existing double-circuit line between the al-Fadili and al-Zour stations to the stations, constructing a double-circuit antenna line with a 400 kV length of 25 km.
The project also includes expanding the al-Fadili station by adding electrical circuit breakers to connect it to al-Wafra and extending overhead lines from the latter to stations Sabah 3 and Sabah 4 to connect to the network of Kuwait.
During its last meeting in Muscat, the GCC Advisory and Regulatory Committee on Electricity Interconnection discussed the introduction of some amendments to the general agreement and the energy exchange and trade agreement.
The meeting discussed the Authority's report on the performance and activities of the Gulf electrical interconnection and the need for the advisory and regulatory committee to support and develop its regulatory role.
The committee was briefed on the procedures for transferring the presidency of the Advisory and Regulatory Committee to the next session and the Authority obtaining a license to transmit electricity in GCC countries and granting the GCCIA the status of a trading party in the energy exchange and trade agreement.
