Qatar- PM lays stone for QR11bn power plant
Date
3/24/2016 9:50:18 PM
(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani lays the foundation stone for the plant along with other officials.
By Mohammed Iqbal
DOHA: Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani yesterday laid the foundation stone for the QR11bn Umm Al Haul Power Plant of Qatar Electricity and Water Company (QEWC) which will give a major boost to water and electricity production.
The ceremony at Umm Al Haul south of the country was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud Minister of Energy and Industry
H E Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada former energy and industry minister and ex-president of Qatar Administrative Control and Transparency Authority H E Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah government officials and dignitaries.
When completed the plant will produce 2520MW of electricity and 136 million gallons of water a day — a 22 percent increase in the current electricity output and a 25 percent increase in water production — making the project one of the biggest of its kind in the region Dr Al Sada said at the ceremony.
The project is expected to be completed in two phases. The first will be completed by the second quarter of 2017 with the production 40 million gallons of water a day. The plant will reach full capacity in the third quarter of 2018 Qatar News Agency reports.
The project will be implemented by Kahramaa Qatar Petroleum and Japanese firms Mitsubishi and TEPCO. National companies will have access to at least 30 percent of the project works.
Dr Al Sada said the project is part of Qatar’s strategic goals of creating infrastructure to support economic development. It aims to develop the electricity and water utility sectors and increase foreign and local investments in both.
The project site was chosen based on the availability of infrastructure particularly water and gas pipelines and the salinity of the water near it Dr Al Sada said.
It is also a water management project to desalinate water to meet future demand.
Dr Al Sada said the project is part of Qatar National Vision 2030 which continues to overcome challenges as evident by four percent growth in GDP despite the decline in oil prices and its impact on many economies.
QEWC Managing Director and General Manager Fahad bin Hamad Al Mohannadi also Chairman of Umm Al Houl Power Company said the plant reflects the government’s keenness to involve the private sector in major projects.
He said Qatar has always invested in the electricity sector domestically or internationally adding that Nebras Power was established with 60 percent ownership by QWEC while Qatar Petroleum has a 20 percent share.
The Peninsula