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Cairo: Electricity consumption in Kuwait has surged to a new record peak as the country is experiencing an extreme summer heat.
The electricity load index, which tracks the power consumption across Kuwait, recorded 17,360 megawatts at 2pm on Saturday at 49 degrees Celsius, an increase of 240 megawatts against the previous record set on Thursday.
Saturday’s peak was the highest recorded so far in Kuwait’s history, according to the country’s Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy.
Parts of Sabah Al Salam suburb in the south governorate of Al Ahmadi Saturday experienced a brief power outage after three feeding substations went out of service, the ministry said.
On Thursday, Kuwait’s electricity consumption soared to a record peak of 17,120 megawatts, 180 megawatts higher than the previous record consumption recorded in last year’s summer.
The ministry has anticipated a spike in consumption in the coming days because of high temperatures projected to surpass 50 degrees Celsius in some parts of Kuwait and soaring energy demand, local media reported.
The Kuwait Meteorological Centre forecast Sunday’s temperatures to reach 47 degrees Celsius.
Kuwait’s overall population is estimated at 4.8 million including around 3.3 million foreigners.
Authorities have repeatedly urged citizens and expatriates to save energy, saying this is crucial for meeting the increasing demand.
Electricity generation at Kuwait’s power stations by 700 megawatts from the Gulf grid.
Last month, Kuwait introduced temporary rolling power cuts for the first time after over 40 areas in the country were hit by a power outage blamed on a spike in electricity consumption spurred by scorching temperatures.
