Kuwait temporarily cut electricity supply to some rural and industrial areas on Wednesday, as power demand outstripped the capacity at its generation plants that are undergoing maintenance.
The load-shedding affected the areas of Sabhan, Sulaibiya, Rai, Shuwaikh and Abdullah Porta, Kuwait's Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy said in a post on X.
The ministry also urged people to help reduce the consumption of power, especially during peak hours between 11am and 5pm.
Demand for electricity surges during the summer, when daytime temperatures often exceed 50ºC, as millions of people use air-conditioners and other cooling equipment. Temperatures in Kuwait rose by about 10ºC over the past week to a high of about 38ºC on Wednesday.
Experts in Kuwait have warned of a looming electricity crisis due to delays in decisions on building new power stations to keep up with demand, as electricity is heavily subsidised.
Kuwait resorted to scheduled load-shedding for the first time last summer to cope with demand. It also imported electricity from the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) Interconnection Authority, an interconnected grid between Gulf states, and signed a 15-year deal with Qatar for the supply of liquefied natural gas to run its power plants.
"The real question for those in the ministry is whether the necessary measures have been taken to increase the reserve or raise production capacity so that last year's scenario is not repeated," former MP Essam Salman Al Dabbous wrote on social media platform X.
Kuwait last month signed a deal with China to expand electricity generation from solar plants as it seeks to meet 15 per cent of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2030.