Umm Al Houl Power Company inaugurates an expansion that will increase the production capacity of desalinated water by 61.4 million gallons per day

Doha, Qatar: Umm Al Houl Power Company inaugurated today the water expansion project in a special ceremony held today under the patronage and attendance of H.E. Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani, the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, and with the participation of H.E. Mr. Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, the Minister of State for Energy Affairs.

The completion of the project constitutes a quantum leap towards achieving self-sufficiency in the production of electricity and water, and 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.

In remarks on this occasion, H.E. Mr. 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 His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, particularly those related to managing our water and energy resources and the related infrastructure in a manner that enhances water and electric security.

His Excellency said, “We are very proud of this leading strategic project, which was accomplished during difficult and challenging circumstances, characterized 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.”

H.E. Minister Al-Kaabi concluded his remarks by saying: “ I would like to thank Mr. 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 Mr. Jamal Al-Khalaf, the CEO of Umm Al Houl Power Company, for their great and valuable efforts to complete this project ahead of schedule.”

Umm Al Houl Power Station will meet 30% of the country's electric energy needs, and 40% 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.

The project has been successfully completed despite the challenges imposed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and within the budgeted cost of about QR 1.64 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%.

The project was implemented by two of the leading international companies: Samsung and Acciona, who have extensive experience in this field.

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© Press Release 2021