Jan 6, 2015 - the company received five out of seven tur- bines with a ... Kuwait, and will be key to support the coun-
TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2015
LOCAL
Al-Zour North One Water, Power Plant completes one year of construction On track to start producing in June 2015 KUWAIT: Shamal Al-Zour Al-Oula KSC announced yesterday that the overall project development progress has reached over 65 percent of Al-Zour North One power and water desalination plant, Kuwait’s first Private Public Partnership power plant that started construction in December 2013, and is due to start controlled production in June 2015 and commercial production in the fourth quarter of 2016. Shamal Al-Zour Al-Oula KSC is 40 percent owned by a private consortium comprising GDF SUEZ, Sumitomo, and A H Al Sagar and Brothers. The remaining 60 percent is owned by Government of Kuwait, which is mandated to sell 50 percent of the total ownership through an Initial Public Offering (IPO) to Kuwaiti citizens in the next few years, leaving it with a 10 percent stake following the IPO. Shamal Al-Zour Al-Oula CEO, Andy Biffen
• Power, water plant construction progressing as scheduled • 7 million hours of work completed in a year • 4,200 workers • Five 226 MW gas turbines delivered to site, three already installed said: “2014 was a positive year for Shamal Al-Zour Al-Oula and lead contractors HHI and SIDEM. Construction has made considerable progress, and the project is slightly ahead of schedule. Al-Zour North One has also mobilized large amounts of capacity from local engineering and construction companies. We are ver y proud of the progress we’ve made to date as well as the delivery quality.” Biffen added: “In 2015, the plant will receive two additional gas turbine generator units starting from June.”
$1.4 billion plant As of November 2014, seven million man-hours have been invested in the construction of the $1.4 billion plant without a recorded accident. During the year 2014, the company received five out of seven turbines with a capacity of 226MW each for a total of around 1,500 megawatt gas-fired power plant. Three of these turbines have already been installed. The construction of Al-Zour North One plant counts today more than 4,200 work-
ers, mainly contracted through Kuwaitbased companies, all of which are led by the main engineering, procurement and construction contractors Hyundai Heavy Industry (HHI) and SIDEM. SIDEM leads the design and supply of the desalination units, which will be delivered early this year. The desalination units are being manufactured overseas and will be transported to site as complete units. Al-Zour North One is a 1,500 MW gas fired power facility and an associated water desalination plant. Once complet-
ed, the plant will be one of the most efficient and eco-friendly generation sources in Kuwait, and will be key to support the country’s economic development plans. The plant will also produce a much needed 107 million gallons of water per day for Kuwait. Once fully operational, the capacity of AlZour North One will account for more than 10 percent of Kuwait’s installed power generation capacity and around 20 percent of its installed desalination capacity. All of the plant’s output will be provided to Kuwaiti citizens and residents by the Kuwait Ministry of Electricity and Water under a 40year long-term Energy Conversion and Water Purchase Agreement (ECWPA). Construction on the Al-Zour North One plant commended in December 2013, following the signing of contracts on December 12, 2013, which formed the joint company Shamal Al-Zour Al-Oula KSC.
NUKS-USA recognizes KIPCO’s support KUWAIT: KIPCO - the Kuwait Projects Company - was recognized by the National Union for Kuwaiti Students - USA Branch for its
Platinum Sponsorship of the 31st Conference of NUKS-USA. The conference was recently held in San Francisco, California, under the
KIPCO’s Vice Chairman, Faisal Al Ayyar (right), receiving a commemorative plaque from NUKS-USA Treasurer, Humoud Al Essa.
sponsorship of HH the Prime Minister, Sheikh Jaber Al Mubarak Al Hamad Al Sabah. KIPCO’s Vice Chairman, Faisal Al Ayyar, received the student representatives and praised their efforts to support and assist the Kuwaiti student community in the USA. KIPCO’s Group Communications Director, Eman Al Awadhi, said: “As part of its responsibility towards society, KIPCO always seeks opportunities to develop and encourage young Kuwaitis to play a leading role in their country’s development. Our support for the annual NUKS-USA conference is a testament to our belief in the ability of young people to shape Kuwait’s tomorrow. The event offers KIPCO and its Group companies a means to interact with these young men and women and to better understand their views on the direction they wish to take in shaping the bright future of their country.” The student representatives expressed their appreciation for KIPCO’s support of this annual event, which was attended by more than 3,500 Kuwaitis studying in the United States.
PIC eyes strategic projects by 2030 KUWAIT: Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC) aims to implement a number of strategic projects by 2030, foremost among which are Olefins ones, said Mijbel AlShemmari, head of Olefins Business Development department. The Olefins Business Development department works on carrying out the third project of Olefins in line with the PIC’s strategy that aims at expanding the field of petrochemicals and enhancing integration with the activities of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, Shemmari told Chemistry Magazine in an interview. There is now an initial feasibility study on the integration project among the third Olefins factory, the aromatics plant and the Al Zour Refinery, he said, indicating this feasibility study aims at choosing the best alternatives required for the project. The PIC produces about five million tons of Olefins such as ethylene, polyethylene and glycol as well as other products in cooperation with EQUATE, Kuwait Olefins Company and other companies, he noted.— KUNA
Dubai, Istanbul top spring break travel destinations KUWAIT: Dubai and Istanbul are top traveling destinations for Kuwaiti tourists during the spring break that will start next Thursday and ends on January 24, a number of tourism and travel agency owners said. Dubai and Istanbul have been top travel harbors for Kuwaitis during vacations in the last five years, as they possess all touristic attractions and entertainment facilities, besides the reasonable flight ticket prices during the current period, due to great competition between travel agencies, they added in remarks to KUNA. Turnout on other countries,
including Egypt, Lebanon and Syria increased lately, as Kuwaitis are visiting various Egyptian cities including Sharm El-Sheikh, while Beirut witnessed high turnout from Kuwaitis since last new year’s vacation, they said. The Syrians in Kuwait are heading to Damascus and Latakia as the situation relatively calmed back in their country, they added. Many factors contributed to the high turnout of Kuwaitis traveling to Dubai and Istanbul, including the short period of the Spring break, various offers by travel agenesis, besides the visa-free entry to those cities as well as the reasonable
accommodation fees, Mohammad Al-Tasabahji, Director of a tourism and travel agency said. Travel turnout on European cities is very weak, due to the cold weather, yet Kuwaitis still travel to London as a top European destination, followed by Munich, Barcelona and M adrid, he affirmed. Kuwaitis still travel to Malaysia and Thailand being top two travel destinations in Eastern Asia, he added The flight tickets are not affected by the falling oil prices, as the competitions between the travel agencies plays a key role in the stability of ticket prices, he concluded. —KUNA
