Renewed rolling power cuts in Kuwait

Cairo: Starting from Saturday (today), Kuwait plans week-long scheduled power cuts to conduct maintenance works on some secondary substations across its six governorates ahead of the summer when electricity consumption usually surges.

The country's Ministry of Electricity said the planned maintenance will result in power outages according to the specified areas and times listed in the maintenance schedule.

"The maintenance period is subject to extension or reduction depending on the nature and conditions of the work," the ministry added in an X post.

According to the Kuwaiti newspaper Alseyassah, maintenance will lead to a power outage in limited areas of 20 residential areas, starting Saturday from 8:00am for four hours.

The paper added that the outage will partially affect areas of Jaber Al Ahmad, Saad Al Abdullah, Hawally, Salwa, Sabah Al Nasser, Jleeb, Fintas, Mangaf, Salmiya, Andalus, Sabah Al Salem, Abu Al Hasaniya, Fahaheel, Khaldiya, Ishbiliya, Al Qurain, Al Adan, Mubarak Al Kabeer, Mansouriya, and Messila.

On Wednesday, the ministry announced that electricity would be cut off in parts of eight agricultural and industrial areas in the country due to high electrical loads and maintenance of some power generation units in preparation for their full operation in the summer.

Kuwait, among the world's hottest places in summer, last July saw the highest power consumption in its history amid increased demand due to scorching heat.

Authorities have repeatedly urged citizens and expatriates to save energy, saying this is crucial for meeting the upsurge of demand.

Last summer, Kuwait introduced temporary rolling power cuts for the first time after over 40 areas in the country were hit by a power blackout blamed on soaring electricity consumption spurred by sizzling temperatures.