Temperatures have soared in Kuwait, forcing households to use more power for cooling. AFP
Temperatures have soared in Kuwait, forcing households to use more power for cooling. AFP
Temperatures have soared in Kuwait, forcing households to use more power for cooling. AFP
Temperatures have soared in Kuwait, forcing households to use more power for cooling. AFP

Kuwaitis brace for power cuts of up to two hours as temperature soars


Ismaeel Naar
  • English
  • Arabic

Kuwait will carry out more scheduled power cuts, to help reduce demand for electricity as temperatures soar during the summer months, authorities have said.

On Friday, the Ministry of Electricity published schedules listing dates and areas where power will cut, during the peak periods between 11am to 5pm.

The power cuts will last for up to two hours if the need arises, it said.

“In light of the heatwave, may God give people patience with the rising temperatures, and may God help the sick, the elderly, and children during these power cuts,” Kuwaiti citizen Ibrahim Al Ghasham said.

“What is happening right now is the result of a lack of responsibility and poor planning. If a decision was issued to suspend classes in the last week, we could’ve saved so much electrical load across approximately 800 schools,” he added.

Reducing the number of electricity users is done through power cuts when demand for power approaches supply capacity, creating the potential for a dangerous imbalance.

Power consumption on Thursday hit 16,241 megawatts, surpassing the 16,000 mark for the second day in a row, the Kuwait News Agency reported.

"The scheduled cut-off time for each region will be announced one hour before the cut-off time through the ministry's official accounts on social media platforms,” authorities added.

Countries across the Middle East are experiencing a heatwave. Several have resorted to systematic power cuts to shed the loads on their grids.

In Egypt, the government has mandated daily power cuts as it struggles with an economic crisis.

Several areas in Kuwait have experienced power cuts since Wednesday.

The cuts on Thursday were limited to five areas, mostly industrial, compared to more than 40 residential areas on Wednesday, the ministry said on its X account.

The ministry added that malfunctions at the main power transformer in Salwa caused blackouts in parts of block 12 of the area on Thursday.

Salwa is an area in Hawalli province in Kuwait City, bordering Rumaithiya to the north.

“The electricity from today is cut off in the Saad Abdullah city,” said Nasser Al Shghban. "Our children, the elderly and the sick are suffering even during these short power cuts. In this hot summer climate, we’re in a miserable state."

Cars drive past Kuwait's main government electricity control tower, where a thermometer placed on the building reads 47°C, on Wednesday. AFP
Cars drive past Kuwait's main government electricity control tower, where a thermometer placed on the building reads 47°C, on Wednesday. AFP

Taken by surprise

Meteorological and environmental expert Issa Ramadan described Kuwait’s infrastructure as a “heat magnet” that needs further agriculture and nano technology to tackle its heat challenges during the summer months.

“The current asphalt and street tiles gain heat easily during the day and do not lose it in the evening,” Mr Ramadan said. "Kuwait need to seriously think about the construction of asphalt and tiles with insulating materials and colours that can reduce the temperature by up to 7 degrees."

Kuwaiti citizen Alia Abdulrahman said that her house in the centre of Kuwait City experienced two hours of power cut on Wednesday but was taken by surprise.

"I wasn't aware that there were planned power cuts. I grew up in Bahrain and Kuwait where sometimes the electricity shuts off due to power shedding. But if this continues for some time I'll have to plan ahead and spend it in a mall or public place," she said.

Kuwait’s Education Ministry has instructed primary school teachers to start their summer holidays earlier this year, from Thursday

Middle school and secondary teachers will begin their breaks on Monday.

The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs asked mosques to switch off air conditioners 10 minutes after each prayer, while the Health Ministry ordered employees to switch off lights after working hours.

Abdulaziz Al Qarawi, head of the Meteorological Department at the General Administration of Civil Aviation, told the Kuwait News Agency that temperatures are expected to reach between 47°C and 50°C maximum over the weekend amid an expected heatwave.

To control the expected surge in power demand, Kuwait announced last month it signed short-term contracts to buy 500MW of electricity, including 300MW from Oman and 200MW from Qatar, during the summer months.

Netherlands v UAE, Twenty20 International series

Saturday, August 3 - First T20i, Amstelveen
Monday, August 5 – Second T20i, Amstelveen​​​​​​​
Tuesday, August 6 – Third T20i, Voorburg​​​​​​​
Thursday, August 8 – Fourth T20i, Vooryburg

The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km

Price: Dh133,900

On sale: now 

Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.” 

Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

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MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg

Tottenham 0-1 Ajax, Tuesday

Second leg

Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm

Game is on BeIN Sports

The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

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Essentials

The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours 
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.

RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile

Started: 2016

Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel 

Based: Ramallah, Palestine

Sector: Technology, Security

# of staff: 13

Investment: $745,000

Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
STAGE 4 RESULTS

1 Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 4:51:51

2 David Dekker (NED) Team Jumbo-Visma

3 Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal 

4 Elia Viviani (ITA) Cofidis

5 Matteo Moschetti (ITA) Trek-Segafredo

General Classification

1 Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - 12:50:21

2 Adam Yates (GBR) Teamn Ineos Grenadiers - 0:00:43

3 Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 0:01:03

4 Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:01:43

5 Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo - 0:01:45

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Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?

Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.

They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.

“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.

He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.

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Best Agent: Jorge Mendes

Best Club : Liverpool   

 Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)  

 Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker

 Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo

 Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP

 Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart

Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)

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Best Women's Player:  Lucy Bronze

Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi

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Nepotism is the name of the game

Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad. 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed 

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if you go

The flights
Flydubai offers three daily direct flights to Sarajevo and, from June, a daily flight from Thessaloniki from Dubai. A return flight costs from Dhs1,905 including taxes.
The trip 
The Travel Scientists are the organisers of the Balkan Ride and several other rallies around the world. The 2018 running of this particular adventure will take place from August 3-11, once again starting in Sarajevo and ending a week later in Thessaloniki. If you’re driving your own vehicle, then entry start from €880 (Dhs 3,900) per person including all accommodation along the route. Contact the Travel Scientists if you wish to hire one of their vehicles. 

Gothia Cup 2025

4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

Our legal advisor

Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.

Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation. 

Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.

W.
Wael Kfoury
(Rotana)

What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
 
  • Grade 9 = above an A*
  • Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
  • Grade 7 = grade A
  • Grade 6 = just above a grade B
  • Grade 5 = between grades B and C
  • Grade 4 = grade C
  • Grade 3 = between grades D and E
  • Grade 2 = between grades E and F
  • Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

Updated: June 21, 2024, 5:32 PM`