Qatar Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa) is pressing ahead with further major expansions in water and electricity capacity, energy and water saving initiatives and the Qatar’s first advanced electric consumption metering system, the MEED Qatar Projects 2013 Conference was told on 19 February.

Kahramaa technical affairs director Ahmed Al-Naser said projects include:

• Qatar’s first combined electricity generation and reverse-osmosis (RO) plant. It will have capacity to produce 2,100 MW of electricity and 40 million gallons a day (g/d) of water. It will be located in the economic zone near Mesaieed south of Doha. Al-Naser said the project, which will be developed as an independent water and power project (IWPP), should be tendered in 2014
• Qatar’s first standalone seawater RO plant in Ras Laffan, which will produce water for industry. Bids will be invited in the third or fourth quarter of 2013. Its capacity will be at least 40 million g/d.
• The 2,700 million gallon strategic water storage programme, which calls for the construction of five separate covered reservoirs connected by 200-kilometres of pipeline with capacity of 0.0-2 metres. The reservoirs will be supplied by water from IWPPs at Ras Laffan and Ras Abu Fontas. Hyder is consultant. Bids for the project’s main works will be called in the second quarter of 2013.
• The expansion of existing water storage, which will calls for the construction of five smaller covered reservoirs with total capacity of 54 million gallons. The project also involves 811 kilometres of pipeline with capacity of 0.1-1.4 metres and associated buildings.
• Kahramaa’s first solar power project will involve building 5-10 MW of capacity north of Doha. Bids will be called in 2013. Al-Naser said that the government of Qatar has announced a plan to build a total of 200MW of renewable energy generation capacity by 2020. Kahramaa plans to install solar units within the land of existing Kahramaa facilities and on roofs of new and existing buildings. Al-Naser said the tariff Kahramaa will pay for solar power will be announced later this year.

Al-Naser said that Qatar’s first advanced metering infrastructure project is being implemented in north Doha.

He said that the government has announced a plan to cut per capita water consumption by 35 per cent by the end of 2017. It aims to cut per capita electricity consumption by 20 per cent. Actions will include higher compulsory efficiency standards for air-conditioning units.

Al-Naser said that Qatar had 8,76 MW of installed electricity generation capacity and 332.8 million g/d of desalinated water capacity at the end of 2012. Planned investment in electricity and water generation and transmission capacity will be $22bn in 2013-17. This will entail $10bn in the electricity network; $5bn in electricity and water generation; and $7bn in the water network.