KUWAIT CITY, May 28: Kuwait announced it plans to spend $27bn on power and water projects over the next eight years as the oil-rich emirate braced for power cuts this summer.

Electricity and Water Minister Mohammad al-Olaim told parliament during a special debate that his ministry will next month begin “programmed power and water cuts” as the temperature soars to around 50 degrees Celsius in the desert Gulf state.

“The cuts will continue for more than two months for about one hour daily as consumption is expected to outpace production of both electricity and water,” Olaim said.

The minister said that in order to meet demand, the emirate plans to spend 27 billion dollars on new projects by 2015.—AFP