US technology and services giant General Electric (GE) has been selected by KuwaitÔÇÖs central tenders committee to build a 2,000 megawatt power plant in the emirate.
The Subbiya plant will be constructed in the north of Kuwait, across the bay from the capital Kuwait City and is expected to raise the stateÔÇÖs electrical power generation capacity to 14,000 megawatts.
With one of the world's highest per capita power consumption rates, the emirate has said it aims to increase its power capacity to around 16,000 megawatts by 2012.
The Subbiya plant is expected to come on stream in 2011.
Connecticut, US-based GE was selected as it had the lowest bid of $2.65 billion (KWD760 million), according to government sources.
Among the other pre-qualified bidders for the contract were GermanyÔÇÖs Siemens, JapanÔÇÖs Mitsui & Co and Canada's SNC-Lavalin.
Final approval from two more governmental bodies is expected within the next fortnight.
Kuwait currently has six power stations, but suffers shortages during the stifling summer months due to an increased demand for air conditioning.
Ranked as the worldÔÇÖs largest company by Forbes earlier this year, GE employs over 300,000 people worldwide.
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