Al Mohannadi: Qatar Keen on Bolstering Electricity, Water Sectors

Doha, March 24 (QNA) - Qatar Electricity and Water Company (QEWC) Managing Director and General Manager, Fahad bin Hamad Al Mohannadi, who is also the chairman of Umm Al Houl Power Company, highlighted the attention the State of Qatar pays to the electricity and water sectors in the country. Speaking during a ceremony held to celebrate laying the Umm Al Houl Power Company project's cornerstone, Al Mohannadi pointed to the foundation of QWEC with the participation of the public and private sector, which shows the wise government's keenness on the private sector's participation in pushing development and economy forward. He said that Qatar has always invested in the electricity sector domestically or internationally, noting that Nebras Power was established with 60 percent ownership by QWEC, while Qatar Petroleum has a 20 percent share. The company, he said, invests in power generating stations in Oman and Jordan and competes in the international market to buy shares in existing as well as new stations. Al Mohannadi said laying the foundation for Umm Al Houl project, which has a production capacity of 2520 megawatt and 136.5 million gallons of water at a total cost of QR 11 billion jointly with Japanese company Mitsubishi, stresses the keenness of foreign investors on being part of development projects in the country and the strength of Qatari economy and the trust that world countries have in it thanks to the convenient political and economic atmosphere. Asked during a press conference regarding the use of nuclear power, Al Mohannadi said nuclear power and traditional or alternative power are two completely different things, adding that countries decide their policies in terms of using nuclear power and establish special entities to manage it separately from electricity companies. (QNA)