NEW UTILITIES MINISTER PLEDGES TO END ELECTRICITY

UNCLAS KUWAIT 000722 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP, EEB E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ENRG ECON EINV KU SUBJECT: NEW UTILITIES MINISTER PLEDGES TO END ELECTRICITY SHORTFALLS BY 2011 REF: A. KUWAIT 687 ¶B. KUWAIT 647 ¶1. (SBU) During an introductory meeting with Ambassador, Kuwait's new Minister for Electricity and Water, Dr. Bader Shebib Al-Shuraiaan, stated that he intended to move forward with several long stalled, critical power projects, declaring: "My priority is to get everything going." He asserted that he aimed to end Kuwait's perennial electricity shortfall within two years (as opposed to the 1,163 MW shortfall predicted by the Ministry for 2011 - ref A). The Minister -- the youngest ever appointee to the Council of Ministers -- was non-committal on Ambassador's advocacy for General Electric's bid for the $2.4 billion Subiya power station project. He said the tender process for the 4,800 MW As-Zour North power station and desalination plant would begin within three to four months. ¶2. (SBU) While acknowledging the French Government's head start in holding talks with the GOK on civilian nuclear power development, he nevertheless urged the USG to encourage collaboration between U.S. firms and Kuwait, suggesting that the USG extend an invitation to the recently formed National Committee for Using Nuclear Energy for Peaceful Purposes (which is chaired by the Prime Minister) (ref B). He proposed that a U.S. academic institution partner with Kuwait University to develop a nuclear engineering program. ¶3. (SBU) Biographical information: The energetic Minister, born in 1974, earned his MA (1999) and PhD (2003) from Ohio State University. He speaks excellent English, is a friendly interlocutor and clearly harbors warm feelings towards the U.S. He was previously an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Kuwait University before being appointed to the Council of Ministers in May 2009. He has one daughter and three sons, one whom was born in the U.S. ********************************************* ********* For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: visit Kuwait's Classified Website at: http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Kuwa it ********************************************* ********* JONES