Thanks to long-term planning and continuous investment, Kahramaa has engineered itself into an enviable position when it comes to ensuring that power generation keeps up with demand. Its reserve margin is by far the highest in the region and means that Qatar is capable of exporting power through the GCC interconnector.

Its transmission and distribution network is now in the tenth phase of expansion, which according to regional projects tracker MEED Projects saw $153m-worth of contracts awarded for the installation of power cables and overhead lines and $630m in substation contracts in 2011.

The company must now replicate this success in the water sector, where delivering additional storage capacity is a priority. It has already made good progress in upgrading the network and delivering new desalination capacity, but in terms of long-term security, more storage is required.

Kahramaa has a strong track record in project delivery so the challenge of building new reservoirs and recharging groundwater should be well within the organisation’s capabilities. Securing adequate internal resources, however, remains a key challenge for the company, and it is investing heavily in training and development, particularly for local employees.