New power solutions needed in the Gulf after power cuts
The region has managed – just – to keep on top of rapidly rising demand for electricity. But new solutions will be needed soon, says Robin Mills
On 11 February, Kuwait was struck by a widespread power cut, with lights going off along roads, at hospitals and at the international airport. Outages are common in the Gulf country, with a creaking and outdated grid, but this was unusual for coming in winter, not the peak summer season.Power cuts have been all too frequent in the Gulf in recent years. In January 2014, a major outage shut down Kuwait’s three oil refineries. Saudi Arabia suffered repeated interruptions in 2009 and 2010, striking Jeddah particularly hard. Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has also had major problems, particularly in 2010.Yet given the soaring electricity consumption in the six-member Gulf Cooperation C
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