KUWAIT: Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) yesterday affirmed that full preparations had been taken to secure normal power supply during the summer.

Muhi-Eddine Najm, in charge of the Sabbiya Power Station, told reporters during a tour of the site that only one unit at the station was under maintenance, and that another unit had been out of service since Sept 2009 due to a gas leakage.

The official said that the other defected unit would re-operate in August. The station produces 25 to 30 percent of the country's overall output of power, estimated at 2,400 megawatts.

The unit under maintenance would start functioning during the second week of May," Najm said, noting that the maintenance works of the station's eight units were intensive, done with the assistance of foreign experts.

The official also assured the citizens that there would be no major problems with water supplies, saying that the strategic reserves have amounted to 30 million gallons per day.

Also yesterday, Saad Ali Al-Shuwaib, Chief Executive Officer of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) said that Kuwait's imports of natural gas for production of electric power started on April 1 at a rate of 500 million cubic feet per day.

Al-Shuwaib said in a statement after inauguration of the gas gathering Center-24, the importation of the gas would proceed till October, indicating that the supplies were provided by three international companies.

He refrained from giving further details, noting that Kuwait is bound with contracts with foreign companies to secure gas supplies. His statement coincided with officials' affirmation on keenness on securing normal water and power supplies during summer time. - Kuwait Times