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| Rabi Mohtar and Stephane Michel following the MoU signing. Also seen are Dr Abdelali Haoudi (left) and Yves-Louis Darricarrère |
Qatar Energy and Environment Research Institute, Qatar Foundation centre, in partnership with Total Research Centre-Qatar (TRC-Q) have joined hands to develop an integrated Air Quality Management System (AQMS) pilot project for Qatar.
A memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed at the Qatar Foundation headquarters’ yesterday by QEERI executive director Rabi Mohtar and Total E&P Qatar managing director Stephane Michel.
QF vice-president (Research) Dr Abdelali Haoudi and Total president (Exploration and Production Worldwide) Yves-Louis Darricarrère were among the dignitaries present. Representatives of the steering committee members including Ministry of Environment, Supreme Council of Health and Qatar Petroleum also attended the event.
The pilot project will consist of developing an air quality monitoring network, Total said. The main function of this network is to map the air quality information on a real-time basis. The pilot project will be centred in Qatar Foundation but covers most areas in Doha. At a later stage, the pilot project will be extended to the whole country.
Michel said: “We are more than delighted to be part of this project with QEERI. This agreement shows the commitment and the dedication of Total to the environment. This is one of the initiatives that Total is taking towards Qatar National Vision 2030, as environment is the fourth pillar of QNV 2030.
This pilot air monitoring project is part of the national programme being conducted by the Ministry of Environment. This project is planned initially to run for one year.
Mohtar said the project was the first air quality project for QEERI.
“We intend to have a growing activity in that area,” he said.
Haoudi said the project was a great example of capacity building thanks to the collaboration between universities, authorities and the industry, with Qatar Foundation as the driving force of the project.
Olivier Dubrule, Manager of TOTAL Research Centre – Qatar (TRC-Q) said: “We have been working on air quality in Qatar since 2006, implementing an ozone modelling platform for Qatar Petroleum. TRC-Q has established a strong expertise in the field, based on its experience of local conditions, the long history of the company in France, and the knowledge of proven contractors. TRC-Q is proud to use this experience for further applications beneficial to Qatar.’’
