Kahramaa issues T&D privatisation study

10 January 2003
Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa) has taken the first step towards the possible sell-off of the state's transmission and distribution networks, by inviting international consultants to bid by 1 February for a privatisation study. The study, which will cover both the electricity and water networks, is scheduled to take about six months to complete (Qatar, MEED Special Report, 1:3:02, page 28).

Among the tasks of the successful bidder will be to evaluate the existing power and water grids and make recommendations on ways they can be privatised.

Kahramaa is in the process of transferring its remaining generating assets to Qatar Electricity & Water Company (QEWC). These include the 625-MW Ras Abu Fontas A co-generation plant and the three Doha satellite stations, which have combined capacity of 500 MW.

QEWC, which already owns and operates the Ras Abu Fontas B station, acquired a new asset in early January, when it bought the Dukhan desalination plant for QR 71 million ($19.5 million) from Qatar Petroleum (QP). The plant, which has a capacity of 9,000 cubic metres a day, uses multi-effect distillation (MED) technology.

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