Minister: Kuwait seeks to increase clean energy production to 30 pct

Kuwait's Minister of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy and Minister of State for Housing Dr. Mahmoud Bushehri highlighted Kuwait's investments in renewable and clean energy to raise its percentage of the total produced energy to 30 percent in the next decade. This came in his speech at the 5th session of the Arab-Japanese Economic Forum held in Tokyo on July 10-11, the Ministry of Electricity said in a press statement on Thursday. He affirmed that the use of renewable and clean energy in producing electricity will help protect the environmental system from pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Kuwait is also striving to upgrade infrastructure and technologies related to the electricity grids' security and management and energy storage stations, he pointed out. The Minister added that Kuwait is also keen on localizing renewable energy technologies to create more high-value job opportunities for nationals. With a view to rationalizing electricity consumption, Kuwait started using smart electricity meters and AI technology in raising efficiency of power management in economic productive institutions and is considering restructuring electricity pricing system, he said. Minister Bushehri underlined the need for strengthening cooperation between Arab countries and Japan and removing all barriers to energy security and sustainability investments. He also called for encouraging private sectors in both sides to manage and operate advanced and smart energy systems and develop joint training initiatives. At the conclusion of the forum, Japan and Arab ministers agreed on enhancing their cooperation in industrial development, energy and economic security, high-quality infrastructure, digital transformation, low-carbon energy and energy saving and resources development. Around 700 participants from a wide range of sectors from Japan and the Arab countries took part in the two-day forum. The joint press release said that, at the Public-Private Business and Economic Conference held on Wednesday, the participant s confirmed the importance of expanding and deepening mutual economic relations between the two sides, especially through stimulating investment by the Arab side for Japanese companies to diversify the economic relationship. At Wednesday's gathering, the two sides also agreed to advance the discussion with the aim of promoting and supporting cooperation in sectors such as economic diversification and cooperation for innovation energy, climate change, green products, water, waste management, hydrogen and ammonia, as well as in the field of new technologies, telecommunications, AI, and building resilient supply chains. Source: Kuwait News Agency