Al-Kuwari: $70 Billion Arab Investments in Electricity Sector

Amman, December 05 (QNA) - The electricity capacity in the Arab world exceeded 265 gigawatts (MW), said Eng. Essa Hilal al-Kuwari, President of the Arab Union of Electricity and President of General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) . Speaking at the opening of the sixth conference of the Arab Union of Electricity which started today in the Jordanian capital, Amman, Eng. Al-Kuwari noted that the rate of growth in the maximum load of energy ranges between 6 and 8 percent, saying that it is a high ratio compared to global rates, which requires high investments to establish and operate new production units to meet this growing demand, estimating the value of annual investments in the electricity sector in the Arab world about $70 billion. He said that some Arab countries have been able to make achievements in the field of renewable energy and recorded 10% of generated electricity, calling on the Arab countries to pay attention to the development of human resources and investment in smart networks. For her part, Jordan's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Hala Zwati, said that her country is in a high position in the field of renewable energy, especially in light of the scarcity of its resources, which were always limited, which imposed great challenges. In 2014, its import of energy was about 18 percent of GDP. These challenges have spurred Jordan to resort to alternative energy. Today, only five years after the start of renewable energy projects, 2018 Jordan will reach about 10 percent of the total generating capacity of the electrical system from renewable energy and is projected to rise to about 20 percent by 2020, she added. The conferences of the Arab Union of Electricity are held once every three years, and the Qatari capital, Doha hosted its fourth conference in 2013 after Oman hosted the first conference in 2003. The Arab Union of Electricity was established in 1987, and includes in its membership, 19 Arab countries, based in the Jordanian capital, Amman. (QNA)