Holland Gulf Chamber of Commerce » kuwait http://www.hgcoc.com Holland Gulf Chamber of Commerce is een organisatie gericht op het stimuleren van handel tussen Nederland en de Golfregio. Wij helpen bedrijven die zaken willen doen in de Golfregio aan de juiste ingangen bij de belangrijkste beslissingsmakers. Thu, 22 May 2014 10:31:03 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=3.9.40 UAE rail to link to GCC network http://www.hgcoc.com/blog/2014/01/06/uae-rail-to-link-to-gcc-network/ http://www.hgcoc.com/blog/2014/01/06/uae-rail-to-link-to-gcc-network/#comments Mon, 06 Jan 2014 10:10:26 +0000 http://www.hgcoc.com/?p=1558 Abu Dhabi: Completion of the UAE railway by 2018 can only bring more prosperity not only to the UAE but also the country’s five GCC neighbours as rail lines are constructed across the region, said Etihad Rail .

The UAE railway will connect with the sources of raw materials, industrial areas, ports and major population centres, says Etihad Rail , and will be built in three phases, the first of which will be a 266km-long western stretch between Al Ruwais and Shah. The Shah-Habshan-Ruwais freight line is being built in collaboration with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc).

The 2,177-km-long GCC rail network, which will link all six Gulf states by rail for the first time — providing an alternative to air or sea travel for both goods and passengers in the region — will be fully operational in 2018, said Dr Ramiz Al Assar, World Bank resident adviser of the GCC Secretariat General in Riyadh, in October.

“The designs of the nearly $200 billion (Dh734 billion) network, which will run down the Gulf coast from Kuwait, through Saudi Arabia, to the UAE and Oman, with branches linking Bahrain and Qatar, will be completed by the end of this year or in the first quarter of next year. Construction on the network is to start in 2014-15 and it will be fully operational in 2018,” Dr Al Assar told the Mena Rail and Metro Summit, being held in Abu Dhabi.

Abu Dhabi is leading the GCC rail network with its Dh40 billion Etihad Rail project. The 1,200-km line, planned to be completed in 2018, will link major industrial zones, cities and ports in the UAE, and will eventually connect with the GCC railway.

In October 2011, Etihad Rail signed an agreement with Adnoc to transport about seven million tonnes of granulated sulphur a year from Habshan and Shah to Al Ruwais in Abu Dhabi for export.

The second phase will connect Abu Dhabi with Dubai. It will also provide links to Jebel Ali port, Mussaffah and Khalifa port. The third phase will be the extension to link the northern emirates. The second phase is expected to be completed by 2016 and the third phase by 2017.

The Etihad Rail network will also connect with the GCC network and this — once fully established — will cover Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

]]> http://www.hgcoc.com/blog/2014/01/06/uae-rail-to-link-to-gcc-network/feed/ 0 Cement industry in KSA, Kuwait set to flourish http://www.hgcoc.com/blog/2013/11/27/cement-industry-in-ksa-kuwait-set-to-flourish/ http://www.hgcoc.com/blog/2013/11/27/cement-industry-in-ksa-kuwait-set-to-flourish/#comments Wed, 27 Nov 2013 12:44:58 +0000 http://www.hgcoc.com/?p=1533 The cement industry in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait is expected to flourish due to the current construction boom in GCC region where the total value of projects planned or underway is estimated at $2.3 trillion, according to Kuwait Finance House ( KFH ).
The weekly economic report of KFH , also known as Baitak, said government support has been a key factor driving growth in regional construction and cement sectors.
Most GCC countries have allocated large portions of their respective budgets for construction activities.
For the 2013-14 fiscal period, GCC’s aggregate budget expenditure stood over $400 billion.
Of this, substantial allocations have been made to the education, health and infrastructure segments. Saudi Arabia has allocated almost a quarter of its total budget on education and increased spending on Infrastructure and transportation by around 16 percent year-on-year, the report cited by the Kuwait News Agency said.
It said Kuwait cement accounts for roughly 10 percent of GCC construction materials distribution market. In previous years, demand had slowed down as a result of postponement or delay in major infrastructure projects.
In addition, weak business environment further slowed down the industrial expansion, it said.
Kuwait, however, is also in line to join the current construction boom in the GCC, with projects worth of $188 billion already underway.
The Kuwaiti government has been showing adequate support for infrastructural development.
Some major projects underway in the nation include Kuwait City’s $7 billion on going metro project, which is expected to be completed by 2020 and the $3.3 billion Kuwait International Airport (KIA) terminal which is expected to open in September 2016, the KFH report stated.
Kuwait also plans to invest around $6.2 billion in a series of motorway construction projects with an approximate length of 550km by 2015.
At the same time, the other major developments include $2.6 billion Subiya causeway, a 37.5km bridge crossing Kuwait Bay, linking Kuwait City, Subiya peninsula and Boubyan Island.
Also, Kuwait has over $5 billion university building projects either in planning stage or under construction.
With such robust infrastructure spending plans, demand for cement is expected to pick up in near future, it said.
The Saudi cement industry is one of the established sectors in the Kingdom.
The industry is benefiting from massive investments currently underway in the Kingdom as the country bids to channel its oil revenues to build its infrastructure and strengthen the nonoil sector.
As a consequence, the government has initiated plans to execute projects, worth around $700 billion, across the Kingdom over the next 20 years.
Nearly half of the government investments are set aside for real estate and housing schemes in order to facilitate improved living standards for its citizens, the report said.

]]> http://www.hgcoc.com/blog/2013/11/27/cement-industry-in-ksa-kuwait-set-to-flourish/feed/ 0 Growth opportunities seen in Gulf as world trade shifts to emerging markets http://www.hgcoc.com/blog/2013/11/04/growth-opportunities-seen-in-gulf-as-world-trade-shifts-to-emerging-markets/ http://www.hgcoc.com/blog/2013/11/04/growth-opportunities-seen-in-gulf-as-world-trade-shifts-to-emerging-markets/#comments Mon, 04 Nov 2013 10:09:59 +0000 http://www.hgcoc.com/?p=1493 JEDDAH – Islamic trade finance in its current state is still a small sector compared to global trade finance industry as a whole, a report issued by KFH -Research, a subsidiary of Kuwait Finance House KFHabout international Islamic trade finance “Reality and Growth Opportunities” said.
However, the strong capabilities for commercial growth of the countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, especially Middle East area and the GCC countries in particular, in addition to the increased interest in Islamic finance enable Islamic trade finance sector to be a promising sector in the near future. The report explained that the Islamic finance focuses on supporting concrete economic businesses, and commercial finance is one of businesses sectors that fit with the principles of sharia.
Therefore, sharia compliant banks are in a good position to take advantage of financial flows from Organization of Islamic Conference.
Moreover, due to the fact that the overwhelming majority of Middle East and Islamic Cooperation Organization Countries are highly interested in enhancing the Islamic finance, the increase of commercial flows into these countries represents a promising opportunity to finance Islamic trade to substitute traditional one.
Globalization and advances in modern information and communication technologies have led to a surge in the number of organizations being involved in cross-border trade. Consequently, as the volumes of global trade expand into the 21st century, trade financing offers remarkable opportunities to financial suppliers to tap into the ever expanding market.
As per various industry estimates, the trade finance sector generated approximately $29 billion in revenues for the suppliers in 2011. In the near future, it is expected the sector would expand to generate revenues worth $38 billion by 2015.
The geographic composition of world trade has shifted to reflect the divergent growth performance of the developed and emerging economies.
Emerging countries are now an increasingly significant part of the global economy as these economies grow wealthier, entailing shift towards higher domestic demand. Within the emerging markets, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries and in particular Middle East and North African (MENA) region countries are also gaining importance in the global trade sphere. As per an earlier study, the MENA region is expected to experience an impressive 131 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) increase in trade during the period 2012-2026. The corresponding figure for the increase in global trade during the same time period is 86 percent. In addition, intra-OIC trade rate is targeted to be 20 percent by 2015.
Given that majority of the MENA and OIC countries are showing keen interest in promoting Islamic finance, the increase of trade flows within these regions represents a promising opportunity for Islamic trade finance to become an alternative to conventional trade financing. The global Islamic financial industry flamboyantly progresses ahead into 2013 with total assets estimated to exceed $1.8 trillion, marking approximately a 15 percent year-on-year growth compared to $1.6 trillion assets as at end-2012. Consequently, the various sub-sectors of the Islamic finance industry such as Islamic trade financing stand to benefit and share in the increasing growth. As per market estimates, total trade financing amongst the OIC member countries, including Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Turkey stood just under $4 trillion as at end-2012.
There is general market consensus that Islamic trade finance transactions are roughly 1.5 percent of total world trade finance value. Hence as at end-2012, it is estimated Islamic trade financing would have supported approximately $250 billion worth of merchandise trade while as at end-2011, revenues generated for Islamic trade finance suppliers is estimated to be $435 million. In MENA and OIC in general, the Islamic trade finance sector has been supported by Islamic Development Bank (IDB), the leading multilateral development agency.
A major IDB initiative for promoting Islamic trade financing is the setup of International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (IFTC). As per ITFC 2013 statistics, it has approved Islamic trade transactions worth $4.446 billion in 2012, reflecting a 47 percent increase from $3.033 billion in 2011. The corresponding figure was $2.554 billion in 2010 and $2.167 billion in 2009. Furthermore, the Asia/CIS region held the largest share (69 percent) of the total approvals in 2012, followed by the MENA region (26.0 percent) and Sub-Saharan Africa (5 percent).
Islamic trade financing in its current state is a small sector of the global trade financing industry. Yet, the strong trade growth potentials of the OIC/MENA/GCC countries coupled with growing interest in Islamic finance enables it to be a promising sector worth Islamic financial institutions attention in the coming future.
Looking forward, Islamic finance players need to explore new growth areas for Shariah-compliant solutions in order to maintain the industry growth momentum. Islamic trade financing offers a fantastic opportunity for these institutions to venture into given the strong fundamentals of the OIC/MENA/GCC economies where Islamic finance is making strides. Globally, trade finance is facing funding pressures as European banks, who have been traditionally strong in this sector, continue to deleverage and adjust to the requirements of Basel III. Given Islamic finance’s emphasis on supporting tangible, real economic activities, trade finance is a business segment which fits well with Shariah principles and business model. Banks with Islamic operations are therefore well-placed to take advantage of the sizeable trade flows of OIC/MENA/GCC.

]]> http://www.hgcoc.com/blog/2013/11/04/growth-opportunities-seen-in-gulf-as-world-trade-shifts-to-emerging-markets/feed/ 0 Feasibility studies for GCC railway project under way http://www.hgcoc.com/blog/2013/10/02/feasibility-studies-for-gcc-railway-project-under-way/ http://www.hgcoc.com/blog/2013/10/02/feasibility-studies-for-gcc-railway-project-under-way/#comments Wed, 02 Oct 2013 09:05:45 +0000 http://www.hgcoc.com/?p=1447 Two international firms will conduct feasibility studies for the proposed multibillion-riyal railway project that would link the six-member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), it was revealed at a recent meeting here of the GCC transport ministers.
Bahraini Minister of Transport Kamal bin Ahmad said the two companies would conduct technical, consultative and engineering studies. He did not specify a timetable for the start of the project.
Bin Ahmad said that Saudi Arabia and Bahrain’s ministries of finance and transport agreed to appoint the General Organization of the King Fahd Causeway as the body to choose the company that would oversee the project.
The Bahraini minister said the technical specifications for the project have been drawn up. In addition, the six Gulf states have been asked to double check the coordinates for the railway lines, junctions and stations, to ensure paying the minimum cost possible and adherence to environmental safety standards.
He said it was unlikely the project would cost $11 billion as estimated by the World Bank. “The costs are much less than what the initial studies indicated.”
Saudi Transport Minister Jabara Al-Seraisry said the six nations were focusing much attention on the project. “There is a big movement and lobbying to implement the decision of the higher council of GCC states to complete the project by 2018,” he said.
Meanwhile, Abdullah bin Jumah Al-Shalabi, assistant secretary general for economic affairs, said in a press release that the meeting also discussed marine transport issues including the safety of small and cargo ships not covered by international naval treaties, and piracy problems off the Somali coast and in the Gulf of Aden.
Meanwhile, construction is progressing on the Bridge of Love (Jisser Al-Mahabah) announced in 1999 between Bahrain and Qatar, the Bahraini minister said.

]]> http://www.hgcoc.com/blog/2013/10/02/feasibility-studies-for-gcc-railway-project-under-way/feed/ 0 Oct 15 first day of Eid Al Adha in most Muslim countries… Holidays from Oct 14? http://www.hgcoc.com/blog/2013/10/01/oct-15-first-day-of-eid-al-adha-in-most-muslim-countries-holidays-from-oct-14/ http://www.hgcoc.com/blog/2013/10/01/oct-15-first-day-of-eid-al-adha-in-most-muslim-countries-holidays-from-oct-14/#comments Tue, 01 Oct 2013 09:03:31 +0000 http://www.hgcoc.com/?p=1443 The first day of Eid Al Adha is expected be on Tuesday, October 15, in most Islamic countries, according to a statement on Sunday from the Islamic Crescents’ Observation Project (Icop).
The statement says, “The sighting of the crescent should be possible in most regions of the world with naked eyes on Sunday October 6, 2013, therefore, it is predictable that day will be the 1st of Dhu Al Hijjah 1434 AH, and therefore the 10th Dhul Al Hijjah 1434 AH, or Tuesday 15th October 2013, is expected to be the first day of Eid Al Adha”.

 

Earlier report:

Eid Al Adha holidays: 3 days for private sector? 
The UAE private sector staff can look forward to a three-day paid leave.
Eid Al Adha holidays in October are to begin, according to Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department in Dubai (Iacad), on Monday, October 14 – the Waqfat Arafat day.
They will, thus, be off from October 14, Monday until Wednesday, the 16th.
Private sector employees will return to work on Thursday, the 17th.

Government Holidays
The government and federal institutions in the UAE are likely to enjoy a six-day holiday for Eid Al Adha in October.
Eid holidays will begin from October 14, Monday until Saturday the 19th, according to a calendar prepared by Iacad.
The holiday includes the day of Waqfat Arafat – the day before Eid Al Adha which will fall on (Monday) – followed by three days of Eid and a Friday-Saturday weekend.
Thus, government and federal institution staff can look forward to a six-day holiday in October. They will return to work on October 20.

]]> http://www.hgcoc.com/blog/2013/10/01/oct-15-first-day-of-eid-al-adha-in-most-muslim-countries-holidays-from-oct-14/feed/ 0 GCC traffic infrastructure projects at USD109b http://www.hgcoc.com/blog/2013/09/26/gcc-traffic-infrastructure-projects-at-usd109b/ http://www.hgcoc.com/blog/2013/09/26/gcc-traffic-infrastructure-projects-at-usd109b/#comments Thu, 26 Sep 2013 08:01:20 +0000 http://www.hgcoc.com/?p=1439 DUBAI – Ongoing roads and bridges developments across the GCC are currently valued at $109 billion according to the most recent figures from business advisory and research firm, Ventures Middle East.
The UAE, second worldwide for roads quality in the latest Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report, has investments worth $58 billion in the pipeline for roads and bridges alone, while neighbor Saudi Arabia is undertaking infrastructural improvement projects valued at $77 billion that includes roads, bridges and rail.
As the host of the 2022 Football World Cup, Qatar leads the 2013 boom with an allocation of $20 billion for roads and highways, in addition to a $35 billion rail network. The combined share of roads and bridges projects in the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia meanwhile represents more than 75 percent of the total $109 billion pot.
Oman is securing $14.8 billion on roads, rail and bridges infrastructure in the coming few years, while the Kuwaiti budget for infrastructure works is estimated at $13 billion. Bahrain meanwhile also declared earlier in 2013 that it will spend more than $2.5 billion on major road, bridge, and tunnel networks. The figures signify good news for the hundreds of transport infrastructure service providers participating at the Gulf Traffic exhibition and conference, taking place on Dec. 9 to 11, 2013 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. Supported by Abu Dhabi Police and SAEED, the three-day event will bring together more than 100 exhibitors from 20 countries involved in the design, build, and maintenance of the region’s road, rail, parking and public transport projects.
Richard Pavitt, Exhibition Director for Gulf Traffic, said: “The Gulf region has been at the forefront of transport infrastructure developments for several years now, and 2013 marks another big year, where dozens of new projects have been announced across the six Gulf states.”
“Gulf Traffic will bring together industry leaders from across the globe involved in road, rail, public transport and parking industries. Suppliers will be able to showcase new trends and technologies offering cutting edge insights and industry solutions.”
Now in its tenth edition, Gulf Traffic focuses on the four key transport industry sectors including traffic infrastructure, parking, road safety, and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS).
Organized by Informa Exhibitions, the region’s foremost transport infrastructure event is also supported by ITS Arab, with the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) signing on as Knowledge Partner.
The show returns this year with the Gulf Traffic Conference, bringing together senior-level professionals and government officials presenting the latest on road and safety management trends and global implementations of ITS.

]]> http://www.hgcoc.com/blog/2013/09/26/gcc-traffic-infrastructure-projects-at-usd109b/feed/ 0 Saudi, Kuwait shelve Dorra gas field project http://www.hgcoc.com/blog/2013/09/04/saudi-kuwait-shelve-dorra-gas-field-project/ http://www.hgcoc.com/blog/2013/09/04/saudi-kuwait-shelve-dorra-gas-field-project/#comments Wed, 04 Sep 2013 09:25:40 +0000 http://www.hgcoc.com/?p=1388 KHOBAR, Saudi Arabia, Aug 29 (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have shelved their project to develop the Dorra offshore gas field after disagreeing over how to share the gas back on land, a senior Kuwaiti energy source said.

Dorra has long been a bone of contention between Kuwait and Iran, which also lays claim to part of the field.

Kuwait agreed with Riyadh in 2000 to jointly develop the field they desperately need to satisfy their growing gas thirst. Thirteen years on, little progress has been made and it has now been shelved indefinitely.

“The entire project is on hold, the budget is on hold, no new drilling is anticipated for the 2013/2014 budget for Dorra,” said the source.

The plan had been to share Dorra’s gas at an offshore facility and pump it down separate pipelines to the project partners. Early last year, Saudi Arabia began pressing for all the gas to be piped first to Khafji, a town on the Saudi side of the border, before piping Kuwait’s share overland.

A route via Saudi Arabia raises security of supply issues for Kuwait.

But the original plan to pump its share direct to a Kuwaiti beach near a big gas fired power plant is also stuck because of land disputes between Kuwaiti energy companies.

“The issue between Saudi and Kuwait has not yet been sorted out, nor has the landing point issue within Kuwait been resolved,” the senior energy industry source said.

Kuwait Oil Co (KOC) has built a large beach club for employees at the landing site and will not give it up until an alternative location is offered.

“We are now back to square one because there is not enough land for the onshore pipeline that will transport the gas from Saudi Arabia to Kuwait… access to all corridors for the pipelines are blocked.”

Kuwati oil and gas officials were either unable to comment, declined to comment or were unavailable for comment. Saudi Aramco could not immediately comment.

Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia plans to raise its gas production capacity to 16 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) by 2020. Kuwait, which relies heavily on imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to meet a summer surge in air conditioning demand, hopes to nearly quadruple its gas output to more than 4 bcf/d by 2030, with 0.5 bcf/d expected to come from Dorra.

Both need to boost gas supplies to reduce domestic oil consumption for power generation and boost exports, which Dorra’s estimated trillion cubic feet of gas and 310 million barrels of oil should help achieve.

Failure to develop Dorra will likely force Kuwait to buy more costly LNG on the global market.

]]> http://www.hgcoc.com/blog/2013/09/04/saudi-kuwait-shelve-dorra-gas-field-project/feed/ 0 Unified GCC tourist visa could be reality soon http://www.hgcoc.com/blog/2013/08/27/unified-gcc-tourist-visa-could-be-reality-soon/ http://www.hgcoc.com/blog/2013/08/27/unified-gcc-tourist-visa-could-be-reality-soon/#comments Tue, 27 Aug 2013 10:06:10 +0000 http://www.hgcoc.com/?p=1336 Work to set up a computer system to exchange data underway: Official
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is headed towards a unified tourist visa as early as 2014, according to a senior official with the committee.
“The GCC is currently striving to set up a computer system to exchange data in order to facilitate the issuance of a unified tourist visa for the entire region,” Abdullah Al-Shobaily, assistant secretary-general for economic matters at the GCC, told Saudi newspaper, Al-Hayat daily.
According to Al-Shobaily, no timeframe has been set for the implementation of this single visa for the region.
He added: “Hammering out an agreement between the six GCC member states requires the completion of several technical and other formalities, including the installation of an information exchange system between government departments in the member states.”
The agenda was discussed during a recent sitting of the Tourism Cooperation Committee of the GCC and the Gulf Tourism Committee of the Federation of Gulf Cooperation Council Chambers in Fujairah.

Economics has been cited as the driving force behind this decision with a bid to promote tourism within the six-member nations by simplifying visa procedures for tourists.
Meanwhile, Al-Shobaily was also quoted as saying that unified GCC laws against commercial fraud and consumer protection are also in the final stages, to protect the rights of consumers, manufacturers, distributors, importers and exporters, as well as the economies of the six countries.
The Gulf Customs Union, set for a tentative schedule of 2015, will combat the sale of counterfeit goods within the GCC.
“The GCC Ministries of Commerce strive to heighten awareness of consumers about their rights besides providing them with goods and services of high quality at reasonable prices. The rights of traders and investors to make a reasonable profit will also be protected,” he said.

]]> http://www.hgcoc.com/blog/2013/08/27/unified-gcc-tourist-visa-could-be-reality-soon/feed/ 0 Kuwait investment in water projects at $5.28b until 2014 http://www.hgcoc.com/blog/2013/08/26/kuwait-investment-in-water-projects-at-5-28b-until-2014/ http://www.hgcoc.com/blog/2013/08/26/kuwait-investment-in-water-projects-at-5-28b-until-2014/#comments Mon, 26 Aug 2013 07:48:34 +0000 http://www.hgcoc.com/?p=1324 JEDDAH – The total investment in Kuwait’s water sector between 2005 and 2014 stands at $5.28 billion, Kuwait Financial Centre (Markaz) said recently in its report on the country’s water sector.

Highlighting the demand, supply and investment trends in the sector, the report noted that water treatment plants saw highest investment at $3.4 billion. In 2010 many projects were undertaken and finished. The construction of Sabiya distillation plants projects Stage I & Stage II, Shuaiba north distillation plants and Shuwaikh Reverse Osmosis Desalination Plant took place.

The construction of Az-Zour North Distillation Plant Project is a huge and much awaited one in Kuwait. It aimed to supply and erect 15 multi stages flash distillation units each of 17 MIGPD capacity with a recarbonation plant, in addition to one Reverse Osmosis Desalination Plant having 25 MIGPD capacity, that is having total capacity of 280 MIGPD for the plant.
Kuwait recorded the highest water consumption per capita per day with the value of 500 liters. In terms of its water withdrawal, Kuwait seems to be low at 374 m3 per year per capita, but the availability of renewable water resources stands at 7 m3 per year per capita, which is also very low compared to its GCC peers.

Potable water is mainly consumed by municipalities as potable water finds its use among residential places. Potable water consumption in 2011 stood at 128,236 MIG (million imperial gallons). Municipalities are mainly urban cities and the urban population in Kuwait is increasing rapidly. With increasing population and changing usage trends, the consumption of potable water is estimated to be 142,230 MIG in 2015. This value highlights the heat of demand for fresh water in near future.

Agriculture is also a major sector that withdraws substantial amount of water. Sulaibha farms are government owned farms, which are supplied with brackish water. Brackish water is highly saline, which is not suitable for municipal consumption. Brackish water consumed in 2011 stands at 19,265 MIG. Though the arable land in hectares has decreased from 12 to 11 from 2002 to 2008, the crop produce has been exhibiting increasing trend. The crop production index, which is produced by keeping cultivated land area constant, has shown an increasing trend between 2008 and 2011. These all indicate the possibilities for an increase in withdrawal of water by agriculture sector.

On supply side, there are very little internal renewable water resources.

The annual precipitation is very meager when compared to the prevailing demand. Desalination and sewage treatment plants are the alternative sources of water. Total desalination capacity as of 2010 is around 423.1 MIGD (million imperial gallons per day). Sewage treatment plants are taken care by Ministry of Public Works. Sulaibha facility is the only plant producing RO treated wastewater as of 2011.

The Ministry of Electricity & Water owns and operates all existing power and water production facilities, transmission networks and distribution systems in Kuwait and sells electricity and water. Water tariffs are categorized based on type of consumer. It is just 0.02 Kuwait dinar (KD) per 1,000 gallons for Sulaibha farms and it is 0.85 KD for state facilities and companies.

]]> http://www.hgcoc.com/blog/2013/08/26/kuwait-investment-in-water-projects-at-5-28b-until-2014/feed/ 0 Kuwait seeking advisers for two housing projects http://www.hgcoc.com/blog/2013/03/21/kuwait-seeking-advisers-for-two-housing-projects/ http://www.hgcoc.com/blog/2013/03/21/kuwait-seeking-advisers-for-two-housing-projects/#comments Thu, 21 Mar 2013 08:41:24 +0000 http://www.hgcoc.com/?p=872

Housing authority planning to develop 45,000 units

Kuwait’s Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW) is looking to appoint advisers on the development of two public-private partnership projects to develop thousands of new houses at an expected cost of several billion dollars.

The first project is for the development of a low-cost housing scheme, and the second is for the development of the Al-Khiran Housing City. Potential advisers have been asked to submit request for qualification (RFQ) documents by 18 April for the low-cost scheme, and by 1 May for the Al-Khiran city.

The Al-Khiran project involves the construction of a new city on the south side of Kuwait with 35,000 units. The low-cost housing project is for the development of around 10,000 units in Al Jahra governorate.

Although several financial, legal and technical advisory firms are understood to be considering bidding for the two roles, there is a lack of clarity as to why this process is not being done under the auspices of the Partnerships Technical Bureau (PTB), the body set up by Kuwait a few years ago to manage all public-private partnerships (PPPs) in the country.

It is also unclear if the PAHW process will be run according to the PPP guidebook that was written by the PTB to establish international best practice for the procurement of new projects developed in cooperation with the private sector.

“There are a lot of questions left unanswered about how this process will run, why the PTB is not involved, and what that means for what sort of government backstop these projects have,” says a source at one advisory firm considering bidding for the two projects.

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