The shipment of 130,000 tons was delivered on March 20, Deputy Chairman Asaad Al-Saad told the Kuwaiti Al-Anba newspaper.

“The Ahmadi refinery is planned to receive seven shipments of gas monthly ... until November, which coincides with the summer’s highest peak of gas consumption in power plants,” Al-Saad said.

The Gulf Arab state does not have enough natural gas to meet its power demand and burns a large volume of oil products at power stations. Like its oil-exporting neighbors, Kuwait has been slow to develop its gas reserves to meet domestic demand.

The additional shipments to be imported in 2011 are expected to reach 42 billion cubic feet, a source told the newspaper, adding that 30 of those shipments are signed with Shell and Vitol.

The company left its option open in the signed contracts to allow it to import extra gas shipments from the spot market if needed, the source added.

Last year, Kuwait signed an agreement with Royal Dutch Shell and Vitol to supply the OPEC member with liquefied natural gas from 2010-2013.