Oman plans to invite private companies to bid for the operation of three of the largest existing power plants in the state.

An electricity ministry official said: "Unlike the previous power privatisation projects, we are now going to privatise existing plants which are fully operational. The plants will be managed by private companies which will relieve the ministry's responsibility of running the power stations."

He said it would be the first time Oman had opened an operational plant to private investors. The official said the three plants have a total power capacity of 1.6 gigawatts (GW). Two of the plants, Al Rusayl with a capacity of 685 MW and Al Ghubrah with a capacity of 540 MW, are in the capital Muscat while Al Jizzi is located in northern Oman and has a capacity of 335 MW.

Oman is also in the process of privatising its telecommunications sector and airports, and plans to privatise its postal service.

Kuwait to distribute 10,000 plots

Kuwait City: The Public Authority for Housing Care (PAHC) has declared that it will distribute more than 10,000 residential plots in Jeleeb Al Sheyookh, south Al Doha and south Al Jahraa, and other areas of Kuwait by the end of 2002. The distribution was to start last month with 290 houses in the Um Al Haiman housing project for applicants registered up to 1991, the official news agency Kuna reports.

The Um Al Haiman housing project is divided into three sectors to accommodate 3,763 houses, 400 sq m each, and provides all services and facilities. The northern sector includes 1,044 units, the southern sector includes 1,347 units and the western sector includes 1,372 units.

This project, part of the authority's fifth five-year plan, incorporates special architectural features such as concrete oriel-windows, room for air-conditioning systems, light walls with limestone exteriors and foundations which can sustain the construction of an extra floor.

Kuwait to fund Lebanese scheme

Kuwait City: Kuwait's Amir Shaikh Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah has said the emirate will help finance a huge irrigation and power generation project in southern Lebanon. The cost of the project could run into hundreds of millions of dollars.

The project, to be constructed on the Litani River, will provide irrigation to the whole of southern Lebanon, most of which was under Israeli occupation for 22 years. It can also considerably strengthen the power and water situation in Lebanon. Feasibility studies have been completed and work on the vital project could begin as early as June this year.