20% of fuel consumption to be allocated just for the country's electricity and power needs

Kuwait City, Kuwait; 3 June 2013 - Kuwait's Ministry of Electricity and Water says the country will have to burn 700,000 to 900,000 barrels of oil per day to generate electricity and desalinate water by 2030 at the beginning of the Kuwait Energy and Efficiency summit being held in the country today.

This represents about 20% of Kuwait's fuel generation capacity, according to Dr. Mershan Al-Otaibi, Asst. Undersecretary for Planning and Training, Ministry of Electricity and Water, Kuwait who delivered the keynote address this morning.

"The demand is understandably massive but global action on climate change will accelerate conservation efforts and hopefully further reduce demand," Al-Otaibi added. "And this is why we are keen on developing alternative technologies and energy sources to replace oil as the main source of power for our electricity and water desalination requirements."

In his speech, Al-Otaibi further said that short-to-medium term savings for electricity generation could be derived with a new energy-saving code for new buildings will reduce costs by 20%. Over the long-term, Kuwait could be generating 15% of its electricity requirements from renewable energy by 2030.

Meanwhile, Nizar Al-Adasani, CEO, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), said improving energy efficiency can deliver a range of benefits to the economy and society. "Energy consumption is set to grow by a third over the next two decades alone, and it is energy efficiency that will prevail. Far from being a drag on growth, making our energy sources more sustainable, our energy consumption more efficient and our economy more resilient to energy price shocks are a vital part of the growth and wealth that we need."

For her part, Hosnia Hashim, Deputy Managing Director (North Kuwait), Kuwait Oil Company said that the search for ways to maximise oil recovery has opened opportunities for special extraction techniques like Enhanced Oil Recovery. "These recovery methods, when perfected, can push oil out more efficiently, and save more than 50% water that would normally consume significant power to dispose safely. KOC is pursuing this EOR strategy company-wide to accelerate the benefits for production, reserves, as well as reduction in water management and power," he added.

The Kuwait Energy and Efficiency Conference is currently being held at the Hilton Kuwait Resort, gathering key stakeholders from both the private and public sectors as Kuwait prepares to map out a national energy efficiency strategy. Organised by MEED Events, the conference has been made possible by the Ministry of Electricity & Water and Kuwait National Petroleum Company as Supporting Partners, Tekneen District Cooling Company as Silver Sponsor, GDF Suez as Lunch Sponsor, as well as ABB and Focus Consultancy Services as Workshop Leaders. Alghanim International/RosRoca are participating in the event as exhibitor. For details on the agenda and how to register, please visit www.kuwaitenergyefficiency.com.

-Ends-

About Kuwait Energy & Efficiency 2013:
Kuwait Energy & Efficiency is the only conference to address the need for sustainable energy solutions in Kuwait and will be the first and only forum where policymakers come together with industry leaders to begin the process of mapping an energy efficiency plan for the country.

For media inquiries and assistance, please contact:
Anthon Garcia
PR Consultant,
Kuwait Energy & Efficiency Conference 2013
M: +97150.1398661
E: anthongarcia@yahoo.com

© Press Release 2013