The Officials of Qatar Power company and Siemens during the signing ceremony.
Qatar Power Company announced its extension for a long-term maintenance contract with Siemens, worth QR400m for 15 years, as part of the relations between Qatar and Germany and aims to develop these relations in all economic, political and trade aspects.
The contract was signed by Qatar Power Executive Managing Director Fawaz Abdulaziz Al Baker and CEO of Siemens Qatar Adrian Wood. The signing ceremony was attended by Managing Director and Member of the Board at Qatar Electricity and Water Company (QEWC) Fahad bin Hamad Al Mohannadi, who is also Chairman of Qatar Power Company, in addition to members of the board and Senior Executive Vice-President of Siemens Power Generation Services in the Middle East and North Africa, Gianluigi Di Giovanni.
On the sidelines of the signing ceremony, Fahad bin Hamad Al Mohannadi said Umm Al Houl power station currently operates at its full capacity and will be open in February, 2019.
He said QEWC is undergoing two activities within the solar energy sector, the first will kick off at the beginning of 2019, and by the end of 2020 the first solar energy station will operate with a capacity of 350 megawatts. The second will include a second station of 250 megawatt capacity, resulting in a total of 700 megawatts by mid 2021.
Al Mohannadi added all projects at QEWC are always offered through tenders, and there are about 16 companies that have been qualified to enter projects related to solar energy. The companies will compete for a 25 year electricity purchase contract and long-term contracts will be awarded to companies offering competitive prices.
He added that foreign investment opportunities are good and Nebras Power is working well in this regard, and will represent by the end of this year 17 percent of profits of QEWC.
Al Mohannadi pointed out that Siemens operates 40 percent of the power plants supervised by QEWC.
He added that Siemens has a strong and successful track record and has been in contact with the State of Qatar for more than 35 years. These long-term relationships have contributed to Siemens’ commitment to the State of Qatar and there has been corporate loyalty to its customers.
The Gulf region has gone through many crises and Siemens has been working with Qatar throughout this period this confirms the robustness of the Qatari market and the desire of foreign companies to continue operating in it, stressing that the maintenance work in the stations operating in the country is not affected, especially under the current circumstances, Al Mohannadi said.
Al Baker (of Qatar Power) said the signing of this agreement with the German company Siemens comes at a time when the State of Qatar is to implement several ambitious projects to strengthen the energy sector in line with Qatar National Vision 2030 to raise the level of services in it.
He added that it stems from the company’s firm belief in the role of the private sector in supporting the country’s energy projects in all aspects as a partner in the country’s comprehensive development, adding that Siemens’ advanced technologies will contribute to enhancing station performance and saving future maintenance costs.
