Kuwait announced its support for water and electricity network connection projects in the Gulf during a virtual meeting held by Bahrain's Minister of Electricity and Water, Yasser Hamidan. This meeting was the second extraordinary session of the Electricity and Water Cooperation Committee of the Gulf Cooperation Council, where Kuwait's representative, Dr. Adel Al-Zamel, reviewed proposals for creating connections between the water networks of member countries.
Kuwait's Commitment to Regional Cooperation
Kuwait emphasized the importance of closer cooperation among member countries in this meeting, particularly highlighting its commitment to modernizing its national electricity network. The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jasem Al-Budaiwi, also stated that these discussions follow directives issued by Gulf leaders during their nineteenth consultative meeting in Jeddah in April. He stressed that closer cooperation could help member countries maintain essential services and prepare their infrastructures to cope with supply disruptions and other emergencies.
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Feasibility Studies Review
During this meeting, the committee reviewed a study on border water connections and presented proposals to the Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council. These proposals included completing preparations for establishing bilateral connections in the first phase, with the ultimate goal of creating a comprehensive water network in the Gulf. Committee members also examined the technical, administrative, financial, and legal needs for the second and third phases of the projects.
In the electricity sector, the committee reviewed a separate study on strengthening the regional network. Members discussed integrating feedback from the board of the Gulf Connection Authority and also proposed periodically submitting reports on project progress to the Supreme Council. The General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council held workshops and bilateral meetings with member countries and project consultants to complete data collection and review technical findings.
Kuwait also presented a research paper at the Gulf Electricity Conference and Exhibition (CIGRE 2026) in Muscat, which examined how to maintain electricity supply through connected microgrids during disruptions in the main grid. This paper, supervised by Engineer Ali Al-Muhanna, introduced a system that combines solar and wind energy with battery storage and emergency generators. The aim of this paper is to share electricity among microgrids based on operational priorities for optimal use of renewable energy and reducing reliance on fuel backup generators.
The Kuwaiti delegation included the presidency of CIGRE Gulf, Adhari Al-Mahdad, a board member, Sena Al-Ghareeb, and several engineers from the ministry. Kuwaiti specialists, Asma Al-Sallal, Mohammed Al-Mari, and Atheer Al-Aniyzi also assisted in conducting technical sessions and evaluating research papers. The three-day conference began on Monday and featured over 40 speakers from 15 countries, while more than 10 companies participated in the accompanying exhibition. Discussions at this conference focused on further integrating renewable energies into electricity networks while maintaining reliable supply and achieving environmental goals.
The Oman Electricity Transmission Company organized the twenty-second edition of this conference in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy and Minerals of Oman and under the supervision of CIGRE Gulf.
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