(C) SECRETARY'S ORAL MESSAGE ON ELECTRICITY FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 001829

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/FO, NEA/I, NEA/ARP
TEL AVIV FOR DCM LEBARON
RIYADH FOR TUELLER
TUNIS FOR NATALIE BROWN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/07/2014
TAGS: ENRG PGOV PREL IZ KU
SUBJECT: (C) SECRETARY'S ORAL MESSAGE ON ELECTRICITY FOR
IRAQ DELIVERED TO FM

REF: A. STATE 121610


B. KUWAIT 1303

Classified By: CDA FRANK URBANCIC; REASON 1.4 (B, D).


1. (C) Charge delivered ref A oral message from the
Secretary to Foreign Minister Shaykh Dr. Mohammed Sabah

SIPDIS
al-Salem al-Sabah June 7, after MFA advised that Prime
Minister Shaykh Sabah al-Ahmed would not be available (other
topics septels). The Minister listened attentively and
promised to relay the message, but his first reaction was "we
have had blackouts (of our own)." He recalled that the
Energy Minister had briefed the Cabinet just the previous day
that Kuwaiti electricity consumption had hit a high of 7.3
MW; total capacity was 9 MW, but this was not considered
excess.


2. (C) Charge reminded Dr. Mohammed that there is a Kuwaiti
project to build power lines to carry Kuwaiti power into Iraq
in the belief that Kuwait does have some excess capacity, and
that for the longer term, there is a proposal by JHS to build
a plant on the Kuwaiti side of the border to supply power to
both countries. That latter project has apparently been
refused by the GOK, according to information from the
Undersecretary of Electricity (ref A). The Minister replied
that it has not been refused; a Free Trade Zone envisaged at
Abdali on the Kuwait-Iraq border will require electricity,
and the plan includes a private-sector plant, part of whose
output could go to Iraq (in a separate conversation June 8,
however, the Kuwaiti JHS partner confirmed to Charge that the
project is now back on track). According to Dr. Mohammed,
the Minister of Trade is very excited about this.


3. (U) Baghdad minimize considered.
URBANCIC