Qatar Electricity and Water Company Works at Accelerated Pace to Complete Projects

Doha, November 22 (QNA) - General Manager and Managing Director of Qatar Electricity and Water Company (QEWC) Fahad Hamad Al Mohannadi said that the company is working on completing its local projects at an accelerated pace and in accordance with the specified timetables. About 93% of the Umm Al Houl power plant, which is due to be officially opened after next summer, has been completed, he said, adding that it is currently producing 60% of its electricity capacity and 60% of its water capacity. In a statement on the sidelines of a ceremony held by the Japanese Chubu Electric Power Company on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the opening of its office in Doha, Al Mohannadi said that Umm Al Houl power station supports the state's consumption of water and electricity and adds about 25% to the available installed capacity. After completion of the plant, it will be one of the largest power and desalination plants in the Gulf and Middle East region, especially for its Reverse Osmosis System, and will produce 60 million gallons, he added. Regarding solar projects, Al Mohannadi pointed out that investing in solar energy is one of the State of Qatar's goals, and gains global importance, as technology to benefit from this energy is available and at reasonable prices. He also announced that a land was allocated by the Council of Ministers for a plant to be built on, adding that this land will be sufficient for the production of 500 to 700 megawatts of electricity. The tender for this project will be issued by the middle of next year completed, he said, adding that first phase will be completed within 18 months and will be operated by the end of 2019, ahead of the scheduled date by HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. By the middle of 2020 the plant will be fully operated, he said. About Facility E Project, he pointed out that the project will be located in Ras Rukn and will be completed in 2020 to keep pace with the demand for electricity and water. On the company's abroad projects, Al Mohannadi said that Nebras Power plant is the largest investor in the electricity sector outside Qatar of which QEWC owns 60% and Qatar Investment Authority owns 40%. Nebras, he said, owns 35% of Dayton Station in Indonesia, and has several plants in Jordan and Oman, The company is looking for other opportunities in Indonesia, Pakistan and Morocco, he pointed out, adding that there are several opportunities for Nebras where the cooperation is very much with the Japanese side, as most of its abroad partners are Japanese, either Mitsubishi, Marubeni or Chubu which its name was changed to Jera. Al Mohannadi stressed that cooperation with Japanese companies and banks is great and the relations are very fruitful for both sides, noting that Japan is the biggest buyer of Qatari LNG and the largest investor with the company outside Qatar and in Japan, which confirms the strong ties with the Japanese companies. HE also noted Japanese JIBC Bank support for the company's projects by at least 50%, pointing out that the bank considers Qatari investment as a safe investment, whether in Qatar or in any country. He emphasised that the unjust siege imposed on the State of Qatar did not affect the company's projects and will never affect them in the future. With regard to the Gulf electric connection, Al Muhannadi said that it is called the safe link, which is for the use in case of necessity, adding as Qatar has been committed to supply some of the siege countries with gas, it is also committed to supply them with electricity. The President of Japan's Chubu Electric Power Company Satoru Katsuno, for his part, stressed that the long-term relations between Japan and the State of Qatar are in favor of establishing more partnerships and business between the two countries, maintaining the existing relationship and moving it to a wider economic horizon. He told reporters on the sidelines of the ceremony that Chubu is the first Japanese company to buy the Qatari LNG , and it has relations with the State of Qatar for more than 20 years, adding that during this period, strong business relations were established, as the company worked on many projects in Doha. Katsuno expressed the company's desire to strengthen ties with the State of Qatar by entering into many of the infrastructure projects that are being implemented, based on the excellent relations between the two countries which developed through the LNG agreements between the two countries, especially since Japan's Chubu Electric Power Company was the first buyer of the Qatari LNG in the world, it received the first shipment in January 1997. He also confirmed the company's continued demand for liquefied natural gas from the State of Qatar. He pointed out that the company has been developing many facilities in the State of Qatar in many projects related to electric power, water and solar energy, stressing that the company's business in Qatar was not affected by the unjust siege. The President of Japan's Chubu Electric Power Company said that the opening of the Japanese Chubu office in the State of Qatar is a window to strengthen trade relations between the two sides, where Chubu aims to promote the entry into more projects in the State of Qatar in the future, especially as the company has strong working relationships, agreements and joint ventures with Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation "KAHRAMAA" and Qatar Electricity And Water Co. "QEWC". KAHRAMAA and QEWC have launched a partnership project with Japan's Chubu Electric Power Co. before ten years ago, in order to achieve more economic growth in Qatar through cooperation and consultation in the electricity sector. Japan's Chubu Electric Power Co. is an electric utility company covering Japan's Chubu region and it is Japan's third largest electric power company after Tokyo Electric Power Company and Kansai Electric Power Co. (QNA)