Energy Minister Dr. Abdul Hussain bin Ali Mirza anticipated an increase in electric power consumption by 12% in contrast with last year's, asserting that there is surplus in production, however, he did not rule out power interruptions owing to causes related to distribution process and assured that the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) strives to shorten the duration of any power cut and reduce its volume. The Minister, in an exclusive interview with the Bahraini (Al-Ayam) Arabic-speaking daily newspaper today stressed the importance of saving in power consumption and revealed the Ministry's disposition to impose compulsory installation of thermal insulation in new buildings gradually and intensify power saving campaigns. The Minister pointed out that the Kingdom is inclined towards using renewable energies and actually an agreement was signed for this purpose between the National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA) and a US-incorporated solar energy producer and said that the experiment shall be generalized all over the Kingdom after it proves successful. Another project is aimed at producing wind-powered electric energy and solar energy which has become a global trend especially in view of increasing heightening energy rates and in order to avail of economically feasible renewable energy which has become an imperative under diminishing easy oil discoveries. Regarding privatization, the Minister revealed that this has been a largely successful experience, and pointed out that the private sector now produces around 80% of the total volume of electric energy in the Kingdom of Bahrain.