In August 2020, The National reported that Shamal Az-Zour Al-Oula Power and Water Company had been cleared to start trading on the Premier Market of Boursa Kuwait from 16 August. It became the first power and desalination company, and the first public-private partnership project, on the Kuwaiti exchange. Its Az-Zour North One plant, running since 2016, provided some 20% of national desalination capacity. Half the shares had gone to Kuwaiti citizens in late 2019, while a consortium of Sumitomo, Engie and AH Al Sagar & Brothers held 40%.
The report showed how Kuwait financed a combined power and desalination plant through a public-private partnership while opening a stake in its utilities to ordinary citizens.
Source: The National