Special Report: Power & Water - Gulf opts for oil-fired plants
Just seven months ago, in March, the Abu Dhabi government released a report saying that the economic and environmental cost of using oil as a fuel for power plants was too high to be considered
But now that power blackouts in Abu Dhabi have become a possibility in the long term, the emirate has decided to put such environmental concerns to one side in favour of meeting demand for power.
With a shortage of gas to fuel new power plants – the result of a government decision to devote gas resources to export-driven industries – the emirate is proposing to use oil to fire power and water plants. The first to go ahead on this basis is the Taweelah C project.
Abu Dhabi is not alone in making this decision – Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Dubai have also decided to use oil as a power plant feedstock. All have decided they have no other realistic option if they are to provide power for their growing populations.
The need for economic diversification has persuaded them to earmark gas supplies to industrial users. Other power options will take years to develop – wind and solar technologies remain unreliable on a large scale for now, and nuclear plants will take many years to come on stream.
For some time yet, the need to provide sufficient power will continue to outweigh the environmental arguments.
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