Kuwait

Getting Electricity in

Kuwait

Below is a detailed summary of the procedures, time and cost required for a business to obtain an electricity connection for a newly constructed building in Kuwait.

This information was collected as part of the Doing Business project, which measures and compares regulations relevant to the life cycle of a small- to medium-sized domestic business in 185 economies. The most recent round of data collection was completed in June 2012.

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  • Standardized Company

  • Name of Utility: Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW)
  • City: Kuwait City

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No. Procedure Time to Complete Associated Costs
1 The client hires an electrical engineer licensed by the Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) to design and obtain approval of the design for the internal installation

There are no minimum educational or professional requirements for electricians who carry out the external works. The Ministry issues licenses to electrical engineers only.
The client can hire any electrician to carry out the internal wiring. The design approval however, needs to be submitted by an electrical engineer licensed by the Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW). There are 2 approvals needed: one before executing the internal wiring, and one during execution so the Ministry can inspect the internal installation before final turn-on of supply.

Agency: Electrical engineer licensed by the Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) 		1 calendar day no charge
2 The client submits application for electricity and awaits estimate of connection fees from the Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW)

The application process for obtaining an electricity connection is typically handled by the customer, a consulting firm engaged by the customer to design the construction project and assist with obtaining the required approvals (for the building permit ), and a third party electrical engineer licensed by the Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) to design the internal works and obtain approval of the design.


Agency: Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) 		17 calendar days no charge
* 3 The client obtains inspection of the site by the Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW)

The Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) will inspect the site upon receiving the application, and will issue an estimate of the connection fees on the spot. No one from the applicant’s party needs to be present at the inspection.
Agency: Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) 		1 calendar day no charge
4 The client obtains external works from the Electrical Installation Department of the Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW)

External works are designed by the Ministry and carried out by the Electrical Installation Department (at the Distribution Department) of the Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) only. A 140-kVA load can be supplied from an existing distribution sub-station in the area, if capacity is available.
In the absence of the infrastructure facilities, the holder of the license can allocate a space on the plot not exceeding 5x5 m2 for the MEW to install an electrical transformer to provide additional power to the plot. Having the transformer installed will not result in additional cost to the customer.
The former scenario is however, the more likely one for the assumed case.

Agency: Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) 		21 calendar days no charge
* 5 The client obtains a No-Objection Letter from the municipality

After completing the building works and obtaining the approval of the municipality, the applicant will need to apply for a no-objection letter from the municipality. The municipality will then send the letter by mail to the Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) so the latter can install the meter and turn on supply of electricity to the project.
Agency: Municipality 		22 calendar days no charge
* 6 The client’s licensed electrical engineer submits final electrical drawings for approval to the Electrical Installation Department of the Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) and obtains inspection of internal wiring

During or after execution of the internal wiring the client’s licensed engineer will need to submit the final electrical drawings related to the internal wiring for approval to the Electrical Installation Department of the Ministry. These drawings include air-conditioning, lighting and all other electrical equipment, electrical mains, switches, cable sizes, circuit breakers and fuses.
The client will also need to submit a load form in order to obtain inspection of internal wiring and final connection. The load form will then be handed over to the applicant themselves. If the applicant is a company, the form will be handed over to an authorized staff of the company.
The approval itself is granted after a couple of weeks, but is obtained in parallel with the external works. The inspection however, happens only after the Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) has obtained the letter of no-objection from the municipality.
If the drawings meet the Ministry’s specifications, then inspectors from the Electrical Installation Department of the Ministry will inspect the internal installation (size of cables, type of fuses, cable connection process and installation of main panels and sub-panels inside and outside the warehouse).

Agency: Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) 		16 calendar days KWD 150.0
7 The client obtains meter installation and final turn-on of supply from the Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW)

Upon successful inspection the applicant will pay the connection fees at one of the Ministry offices. The client will then need to show a receipt of payment to one of the nearest emergency departments of the Ministry to obtain final supply. The meter is handed over to the client directly by the Consumer Affairs Department, and the installation is carried out by the Electrical Installation Department in charge of the external works.
Agency: Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) 		2 calendar days KWD 5,621.7
* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.
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