KUWAIT CITY, Oct 2: The State Audit Bureau (SAB) confirmed that purchasing renewable energy from customers is not subject to its prior control. This is in response to the Ministry of Electricity, which asked the bureau to study the project to purchase renewable energy produced by customers and its intention to issue a ministerial decision allowing such purchase. Sources told the newspaper that the bureau responded: “After studying the documents on the subject, it became clear that it is related to presenting a draft administrative decision regulating the process of purchasing renewable energy from others and does not include requesting the bureau’s opinion following the provisions of Articles 13 and 14 of Law No. 30/1964 on establishing SAB.”

They said the research is not subject to its prior control and that subsequent control will continue to follow up on the audit of the subject with the necessity of presenting the contracts arising from the implementation of the decision when it is issued to the bureau if their value reaches the quorum subject to its prior control. Sources indicated this is one of the development projects, through which the ministry aims to encourage customers to produce renewable energy by installing solar panels on the roofs of homes and purchasing the energy produced from them at competitive prices to obtain financial and electrical savings for the State, as well as to reduce carbon emissions from power plants that operate on traditional fossil fuels which consume millions of dinars annually.

In a related context, sources stated that the ministry is currently offering a tender to supply, install, and operate a photovoltaic cell system on car awnings in the main workshops and its emergency services department in Subhan. Sources said the last date for opening the tender bids is Oct 6, after which the bids will be referred to the ministry to study them through a technical committee that will prepare a recommendation, based on which a decision will be issued to award it to the best bidder financially and commercially.

Sources added the tender is within the framework of the ministry’s efforts to expand renewable energy projects, especially in its affiliated facilities, to use them instead of relying on traditional electrical energy produced from power production stations, contributing to saving money and oil used in producing this energy and preserving the environment on the other hand. Meanwhile, the Central Agency for Public Tenders (CAPT), in its meeting recently, opened the tenders for the study, design, and infrastructure works in Faiha, Kaifan and Shuwaikh Administrative Area; while the bids of 12 companies were accepted and one company was excluded per Article 45 of the Public Tenders Law.

By Mohammad Ghanem
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff