• The transaction is mandated by Kuwait’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) legal framework, which requires the State to offer 50% of the total ownership of PPP projects to Kuwaiti citizens through a public offering.
  • Shamal Azzour Al-Oula Power and Water Company K.S.C.P. is the owner and operator of Kuwait's first independently owned power and water plant established under the IWPP Law and the country’s first PPP project to be offered for public subscription.

Kuwait City: In a press briefing held today, the Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects (KAPP) said it is set to launch on October 1, 2019, the public offering of its 50% equity stake in Shamal Azzour Al-Oula KSCP, the owner and operator of the Az-Zour North One Power and Water Plant.

Shamal Azzour Al-Oula KSCP is the first company to be established as a Public-Private Partnership project and the first PPP to be offered for public subscription. The public subscription period will open for 60-days and ends on November 29, 2019.

Once the transaction concludes, and depending on the final level of demand, up to 50% of Shamal Azzour Al-Oula’s shares will be owned by Kuwaiti citizens. The remaining 50% will continue to be owned by current shareholders (40% by a private investor represented by Azour North One Holding Company KSCC owned by a consortium comprising ENGIE (formerly GDF SUEZ), Sumitomo Corporation, A.H. Al Sagar & Brothers, 5% by Kuwait Investment Authority, and 5% by the Public Institution for Social Security).

The public offering is mandated by the IWPP and PPP Laws, which form an integral part of an overarching governmental effort to include citizens in the ownership of megaprojects that are offered to private-sector institutional investors. In addition to providing attractive investment opportunities to citizens, PPP projects empower the private sector to take the lead in growing the national non-oil economy.

Shamal Azzour Al-Oula is Kuwait’s first company established under the IWPP Law. The company is the owner and operator of Az-Zour North One Power and Water Plant, which is the first privately-owned gas-fired combined cycle power and water desalination plant. The facility commenced commercial operations in November 2016 and currently supplies about 10% of Kuwait's installed power generation capacity and about 20% of the country’s installed water desalination capacity.

Power and water produced by the company are entirely supplied to the national power and water grid operated by the Kuwait Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) under a 40-year long-term Energy Conversion and Water Purchase Agreement (ECWPA). Shamal Azzour Al-Oula KSCP is the first phase of Kuwait’s Independent Water and Power Project (IWPP), which is a part of MEW’s strategy to increase the country’s capacity to meet electrical and water demand over the coming years.

Transaction Highlights:

  • Stake: 50% of Shamal Azzour Al-Oula Power and Water Company KSCP (Equivalent to 100% of KAPP’s stake in the company’s capital)
  • Subscription Start Date: October 1, 2019
  • Subscription End Date: November 29, 2019
  • Eligibility: Kuwaiti nationals as of September 15, 2019

Project Highlights

  • December 12, 2013: Signing ceremony with MEW, successfully concluding Kuwait’s first PPP RFP process. Construction commences.
  • November 26, 2016:  Construction completed, starts commercial operation (on schedule and on budget)
  • September 11, 2017: NBK Capital appointed as lead advisor for the transfer of shares to the citizens.
  • March 29, 2018: “Completion Date”

- ENDS -

For more information, reporters may contact:

Fawaz Al Sirri - Bensirri Public Relations - Email: fawaz@bensirri.com 

© Press Release 2019

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