QEWC working at accelerated pace to complete projects

QatarElectricity and Water Company (QEWC) is working on completing its localprojects at an accelerated pace and in accordance with the specifiedtimetables, the company’s General Manager and Managing Director of Fahad Hamad al-Mohannadi has said.About 93% of the Umm Al Houl powerplant, which is due to be officially opened after next summer, has beencompleted, he said, adding that it is currently producing 60% of itselectricity capacity and 60% of its water capacity.In a statement onthe sidelines of a ceremony held by the Japanese Chubu Electric PowerCompany on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the opening of itsoffice in Doha, al-Mohannadi said that Umm Al Houl power stationsupports the state’s consumption of water and electricity and adds about25% to the available installed capacity.After completion of theplant, it will be one of the largest power and desalination plants inthe Gulf and Middle East region, especially its Reverse Osmosis System,and will produce 60mn gallons, he added.Regarding solar projects,al-Mohannadi pointed out that investing in solar energy is one ofQatar’s goals, and gains global importance, as technology to benefitfrom this energy is available and at reasonable prices.He alsoannounced that a land was allocated by the Council of Ministers for aplant to be built on, adding that this land will be sufficient for theproduction of 500 to 700 megawatts of electricity.The tender forthis project will be issued by the middle of next year completed, hesaid, adding that first phase will be completed within 18 months andwill be operated by the end of 2019, ahead of the scheduled date by HisHighness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.By the middle of 2020 the plant will be fully operational, he said.AboutFacility E Project, he pointed out that the project will be located inRas Rukn and will be completed in 2020 to keep pace with the demand forelectricity and water.On the company’s projects abroad, al-Mohannadisaid that Nebras Power Plant is the largest investor in the electricitysector outside Qatar of which QEWC owns 60% and Qatar InvestmentAuthority owns 40%. Nebras, he said, owns 35% of Dayton Station inIndonesia, and has several plants in Jordan and Oman. The company islooking for other opportunities in Indonesia, Pakistan and Morocco, hepointed out.Al-Mohannadi stressed that co-operation with Japanesecompanies and banks is great and the relations are very fruitful forboth sides, noting that Japan is the biggest buyer of Qatari LNG and thelargest investor with the company outside Qatar and in Japan, whichconfirms the strong ties with the Japanese companies.He also notedthe Japanese JIBC Bank’s support for the company’s projects by at least50%, pointing out that the bank considers Qatari investment as a safeinvestment, whether in Qatar or in any country.He emphasised thatthe unjust siege imposed on Qatar did not affect the company’s projectsand will never affect them in the future.With regard to the Gulfelectric connection, al-Muhannadi said that it is called the safe link,which is for the use in case of necessity, adding as Qatar has beencommitted to supply some of the siege countries with gas, it is alsocommitted to supply them with electricity.The President of Japan’sChubu Electric Power Company Satoru Katsuno stressed that the long-termrelations between Japan and Qatar are in favour of establishing morepartnerships and businesses between the two countries, maintaining theexisting relationship and moving it to a wider economic horizon.Hetold reporters on the sidelines of the ceremony that Chubu is the firstJapanese company to buy the Qatari LNG, and it has had relations withQatar for more than 20 years, adding that during this period, strongbusiness relations were established, as the company worked on manyprojects in Doha.Katsuno expressed the company’s desire tostrengthen ties with Qatar by entering into many of the infrastructureprojects that are being implemented.