The Kuwait Fund for Development announced that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Electrical Grid Interconnection Expansion Project, which began in December 2022, marks a strategic step toward strengthening energy integration among GCC countries. The project is designed to improve electricity exchange efficiency, ensure regional energy sustainability, and stands as a key investment in the region’s clean energy future.
Acting Director General of the Kuwait Fund for Development, Mr. Waleed Shamlan Al-Bahar, emphasized that Kuwait will be the main economic beneficiary of the project. He noted that the new Al-Wafra Substation will add around 2,500 megawatts of capacity to Kuwait’s national grid, helping to meet peak demand and enhance overall stability. The Kuwait Fund is partially financing the project through two loans to the GCC Interconnection Authority, totaling 70 million Kuwaiti Dinars (approximately USD 224 million).
Al-Bahar highlighted that the project also supports environmental goals by enabling greater distribution of clean energy and opening up new opportunities for electricity trade between GCC states and neighboring countries. By making use of surplus power available across the region, the expansion is expected to deliver significant economic returns in the years ahead while reducing carbon emissions.
He added that Kuwait’s participation in extending the interconnection to southern Iraq positions the country as a key hub in regional electricity trade. This investment, he said, reflects Kuwait’s ambition to strengthen energy security, drive efficiency, and reinforce its central role in shaping future energy integration in the Gulf and the Middle East.
Technical Scope and Infrastructure Components:
- Al-Wafra 400 kV Station – a new major substation in Kuwait serving as the hub of the expanded interconnection
- 400 kV Double-Circuit Overhead Transmission Lines connecting:
- Al-Wafra (Kuwait) ↔ Al-Fadhili (Saudi Arabia).
- Al-Wafra ↔ Sabah Al-Ahmad “Z3” and “Z4” (Kuwait’s internal network).
- Al-Wafra ↔ Al-Faw (Southern Iraq), approximately 320 km in length.
