Kuwait is pushing back the deadline for a key infrastructure tender integral to Google Cloud’s entry into the country. The Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy (MEWRE) has extended the submission date for bids on a tender to supply and install three primary transformer substations that will power Google’s planned data centers, a core component of the nation’s digital transformation strategy in partnership with the tech giant. The project is a critical step in a wider strategic alliance with the Communications and Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA).
Quick Facts
- New bid deadline set for May 5, 2026.
- Substation project budget is $71 million (KWD 22 million).
- Total Google-Kuwait deal estimated at $1 billion.
Powering a Digital Future
The tender, overseen by Kuwait’s Central Agency for Public Tenders (CAPT), covers the supply and installation of three 132/11 kilovolt (kV) substations. These facilities are slated for sites designated as Gogl ‘A’, Gogl ‘B’, and Gogl ‘C’ across Sulaibiya, South Saad Al-Abdullah, and Al-Mutlaa.
The new submission deadline of May 5, 2026, moves the timeline from the original date of April 7, 2026. The MEWRE has allocated a budget of 22 million Kuwaiti dinars ($71 million) for this foundational energy infrastructure.
A $1 Billion Infrastructure Push
This development is part of a much larger collaboration between Kuwait and Google. In December 2024, the State Audit Bureau approved a 20-year land lease agreement allowing Google Cloud to develop its three data centers on plots of 30,000 square meters each. This lease is expected to generate KWD 210,000 per site annually for CITRA, amounting to KWD 12.6 million over the full term.
The overall value of the data center agreement between Google and Kuwait is estimated to be around $1 billion. This includes a significant multi-year deal worth nearly $50 million between Kuwaiti digital infrastructure firm Digitus DC and Google Cloud Services for providing colocation hosting space at the Al-Mutlaa project site.
Strategic Alliance for Kuwait’s Vision
The infrastructure build-out stems from an initial agreement signed between CITRA and Google Cloud in July 2023. It followed a strategic alliance announced in January 2023, where Google Cloud committed to supporting a comprehensive digital transformation roadmap for Kuwait’s government agencies and key state-owned enterprises. The construction of local data centers is central to this plan, aiming to provide robust cloud computing services within the country.
About Google Cloud
Google Cloud provides organizations with leading infrastructure, platform capabilities and industry solutions. It delivers enterprise-grade cloud solutions that leverage Google’s technology to help companies operate more efficiently and adapt to changing needs, giving customers a foundation for the future. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as their trusted partner to solve their most critical business problems.
Source: Zawya
