Kuwaitis cut power use as Iranian strikes hit grid

Residents in Kuwait are cutting electricity use during peak summer heat after Iranian strikes on power plants made rationing a national priority.

Kuwaiti authorities have called on the public to use less energy so they can maintain round-the-clock electricity while the grid comes under attack. The source described Kuwait as one of the world's hottest countries, where air conditioning is widely used in summer.

Nasser Al-Dhafiri, a Kuwaiti civil servant in his forties, said ordinary people were under immense psychological pressure as the attacks raised fears of electricity outages. He said the daily strikes and attacks on infrastructure, especially power plants, were creating anxiety and confusion in daily life. He said maintaining essential services now felt like a shared responsibility.

For weeks, people in Kuwait and Bahrain have been waking to sirens and explosions. The source said Kuwait and Bahrain have been Iran's main targets in the Gulf since a shaky ceasefire with the United States collapsed. It also said the first phase of the war began in late February with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, and that the Gulf bore the brunt of Iranian attacks during that period.

Kuwait said Iran hit several power and water plants on Monday, causing fires in the fourth such attacks in as many days. Tehran had earlier said it was attacking US assets in Kuwait.

In the Gulf, many desalination plants are combined power and water production facilities because desalination uses large amounts of energy. David Michel, a water and food security expert, wrote in March that freshwater output could be interrupted by attacks on water treatment units, energy plants, or grid connections that supply them. He described the risk as cutting water by cutting power.

The strikes have placed further pressure on a power grid that had survived the 1990 Iraqi invasion and occupation and another round of Iranian attacks earlier this year. Abdulrahman Al-Azmi, a Kuwaiti man in his sixties, said conserving electricity meant preserving national resources and that the grid should not be strained with unnecessary use.

Kuwait is one of the largest crude producers in the OPEC oil cartel, but the source said it regularly struggles to meet local electricity demand, especially in summer, when temperatures top 50C. In summer 2024, Kuwait announced temporary power cuts in parts of the country during peak consumption hours, saying it was struggling to meet demand driven by extreme heat.

Khaled Al-Badri, a Kuwaiti man in his fifties, said he had started turning off the air conditioning before leaving home and switching off outdoor lights. He said everyone could contribute to getting through the period.

Dhafiri said the renewed war and power problems brought back memories of Iraq's invasion. He said Kuwait was experiencing more psychological pressure and uncertainty than it did during that period. Iraqi troops burned hundreds of Kuwaiti oil wells as they withdrew after their 1991 defeat, straining the country's energy resources and causing an environmental crisis. Residents at the time reported sporadic outages after the troops left.

Authorities are trying to limit disruptions before they become systematic. Electricity ministry spokeswoman Fatima Hayat said on Saturday that broad public responsiveness helped reduce electricity consumption below projected levels. She said public compliance allowed the ministry to overcome a difficult phase for the grid and helped maintain service stability.