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Kuwait Fund provides $224mln financing for Gulf power interconnection expansion

Kuwait Fund provides $224mln financing for Gulf power interconnection expansion

Zawya3 days ago
The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (Kuwait Fund) said the of the Gulf power interconnection expansion project, launched in December 2022, is advancing on schedule, with new infrastructure set to enhance Kuwait's grid and strengthen regional energy trade.
The project includes the Al-Wafra 400 kV Station, which will augment Kuwait's grid capacity by around 2,500 megawatts (MW), reinforcing supply during peak demand.
Acting Director General of the Kuwait Fund Waleed Al‑Bahar said financing is being provided through two loans worth 70 million Kuwaiti dinars ($224 million) from the Fund to the Gulf Interconnection Authority (GCCIA).
Other key elements of the expansion project include 400 kV double-circuit overhead lines linking Al-Wafra to Saudi Arabia's Al-Fadhili, Kuwait's Sabah Al-Ahmad 3Z and 4Z, and Iraq's Al-Faw.
Full readiness across the GCC-Kuwait–Iraq interconnection (including the 195-km Al‑Wafra–Al‑Faw link) is anticipated by 2026.
The Fund said the interconnection is intended to reduce reliance on single-market supply, enable the use of surplus generation capacity, and reinforce the GCC's long-term clean energy strategy.
(Writing by Deva Palanisamy; Editing by Anoop Menon)
(anoop.menon@lseg.com)
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