PM inaugurates Umm Al Houl power plant expansion project
Expansion will increase production capacity of desalinated water by 61.4 million gallons per day
PRIME Minister and Minister of Interior HE Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani inaugurated Umm Al Houl power plant expansion project in Umm Al Houl Economic Zone in Al Wakra City on Tuesday.
The PM was briefed on the strategic importance of the plant’s expansion and its role in contributing to achieving water security, and the growing role of the private sector in this field.
The completion of the water expansion project constitutes a quantum leap towards achieving self-sufficiency in the production of electricity and water. The project enhances the efficiency of national companies in building
capacities and achieving the goals of the Qatar National Vision 2030 for building a prosperous and sustainable economy.
Umm Al Houl Power Station will meet 30 percent of the country’s electric energy needs, and 40 percent of its desalinated water needs, producing 2,520 megawatts of electricity and 197.9 million
gallons per day of desalinated water.
This expansion will increase the production capacity of desalinated water by 61.4 million gallons per day, which raises the water production capacity in Umm Al Houl Power Station to 197.9 million gallons per day.
Today, the expansion of Umm Al Houl plant, one of the largest desalination facilities in the region, inaugurated the most important strategic national project in achieving our water security, which will contribute significantly to raising the efficiency of managing our natural resources, in line with Qatar’s National Vision of preserving the environment and relying on friendly technologies.
IN remarks on this occasion, Minister of State for Energy Affairs HE Saad Sherida Al Kaabi stressed the importance of the project, which is considered a new achievement added to a series of achievements and successes accomplished by the State of Qatar under wise leadership of the Amir of State of Qatar His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, particularly those related to managing water and energy resources and the related infrastructure in a manner that enhances water and electric security.
“We are very proud of this leading strategic project, which was accomplished during difficult and challenging circumstances, characterised by a pandemic that hampered various aspects of life and business around the world. However, we have managed
to overcome all obstacles with the support of our wise leadership and the efforts of our partners, and to accomplish this project in record time and ahead of schedule,” he said.
Al Kaabi added, “I would like to thank Essa Hilal Al Kuwari President of Khramma,
Mohamed Nasser Al Hajri, the Chairman of Umm Al Houl Power Company and Managing Director and General Manager of the Qatar Electricity and Water Company, and Jamal Al Khalaf, the CEO of Umm Al Houl Power Company, for their great and valuable efforts to complete this project ahead of schedule.”
The project has been successfully completed despite the challenges imposed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and within the budgeted cost of about QR1.64 billion, thanks to the dedicated efforts of the national experts and all members of the project’s team.
The expansion project is aligned with the Qatar National Vision 2030 to preserve the environment, and the efforts of the energy sector in this regard to reduce carbon emissions.
The project’s use of seawater from the current power plant’s cooling system as a provider for the expansion project is one of the unique design concepts for this project, which has eliminated the need to build a new seawater extracting facility, which helped reduce capital costs, reduce energy consumption, and increase maximum efficiency, thus reducing the cost of treated water by more than 25 percent.
The project was implemented by two of the leading international companies: Samsung and Acciona, who have extensive experience in this field.
We are very proud of this leading strategic project, which was accomplished during difficult and challenging circumstances, characterised by a pandemic that hampered various aspects of life and business around the world. However, we have managed to overcome all obstacles with the support of our wise leadership and the efforts of our partners -- HE Al Kaabi