LOC19:04
16:04 GMT
KUWAIT, June 12 (KUNA) -- Kuwait is set to run several renewable energy
projects to save about 15 percent of the petrol and gas used to generate
electricity by 2030.
Kuwait's daily consumption of oil to generate electricity is 350,000
barrels, with a cost of USD two billion, head of the energy program of the
Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research Dr Sa'ad Salem Al-Jandal told KUNA on
Wednesday, on the sidelines of the 9th session's meeting of the energy
committee, which operates under the UN's Economic and Social Commission for
Western Asia (ESCWA).
The meetings held by ESCWA are of great importance, and this is the second
time the meeting is held in Kuwait, he said. The institute organized workshops
yesterday specialized in oil and gas pricing, and its effects on the
international oil demands in the current world events, he added.
The scale of dependency on renewable energy sources like solar and wind
power relates to oil prices and oil demands, therefore, pricing is important
for setting a scale between different energy sources, noted Al-Jandal.
The institute uses renewable energy sources to study them thoroughly and
present the results to decision makers he said, also adding that the institute
works on gathering detailed information to find ways of applying energy
policies, and monitor how these would affect the policies of nations.
All countries in the region, especially the Gulf states are working on
using renewable energy sources mainly in projects related to electricity to
reduce the use of oil and make use of it in other fields, and Kuwait is
recently suffering from the lack of oil needed for power plants.
The Kuwaiti government is paying huge attention to this issue said
Al-Jandal, adding that the institute presented in the workshops, details about
the use of oil in Kuwait and ways of using renewable energy sources in vital
projects such as Al-Shegaya renewable energy power plant.
The institute aims to develop the techniques used in these renewable
sources to make generating electricity easier for power plants, because
consuming this huge amount of oil daily will not last, since it affects the
country's budget, he explained.
Governments should start preparing to reduce the use of oil, gas, and coal,
because these resources will not be available for a long period of time due to
the massive consumptions, he warned.
Al-Jandal expected Kuwait's use of electricity to reach 30,000 megawatt by
2030, including the electricity used in manufacturing, which will lead to the
consumption of 700,000 barrel of oil a day.(end)
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