KUWAIT: Minister of Electricity and Water Salem Al-Othayna said on Monday that the improvements in Kuwait's power network are being carried out using the latest equipment and sophisticated power conservation techniques. Al-Othayna, who is also the Acting Minister of Information, said that, as well as conserving power, the 'smart' system used by the MEW ensures that the power supply is directed towards those areas where it is most needed.

In a statement released after he inaugurated Salwa's second main power plant, which uses the 'smart' system, the minister said that the new system "contributes to reducing consumption levels by 15 to 20 percent through conserving the previously wasted power." Kuwait has taken the regional lead in introducing the 'smart' system, which was first suggested by an MEW expert committee in 2008, said Al-Othayna, lauding the efforts of the five Kuwaiti engineers, all female, who first launched the project and of t
he additional eight who also played a part in ensuring the successful introduction of the cutting edge system.

The five-year contract for the KD3.6 million system, signed in 2009, includes the setting up, operation and maintenance of Kuwait's 50 power plants, and will shortly be extended to the secondary power stations across the country. Another MEW official, Saleh Al-Musallam, the Assistant Undersecretary of Transportation Networks, said that the new system is vitally important to Kuwait's power network, and will provide an additional 1,000 megawatts to each of the country's secondary power stations.

Al-Musallam explained that the introduction of the 'smart' system was first put forward by Kuwaiti experts in 2008, as well as being established by Kuwaitis, adding that it is the first of its kind in the Arab Gulf region. The system is also distinctive in enabling the ministry to meet customers' demands and increase the capacity of electricity substations, thus helping the MEW to meet its commitments to generating sufficient levels of electricity without constructing new power plants, particularly in thos
e areas without the necessary infrastructure or space to do so.

The head of the Kuwaiti female engineers who supervised the introduction of the new 'smart' system, Afnan Al-Khalifi, said that the project to introduce the system was a wholly Kuwaiti initiative, first visualized in 2008 by Kuwaiti female engineers and brought to fruition this year through their and others' efforts.

Whilst the introduction of the new system is a relatively small one in terms of its material value, it is a major one in terms of its ability to reduce power consumption levels, said Al-Khalifi, expressing gratitude for all the support given to the project team's members in order to realize this vital enterprise. - KUNA