Kahramaa opens 32 electricity substations last year

As many as 32 electricity substations were opened last year across Qatar, according to a statement released by Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa).

The total number of substations in the country has risen to 320. There were no major breakdowns during the year and effective monitoring by Kahramaa's teams could detect and resolve 26 cases.It has been mentioned the country's total installed power capacity has risen to 10,170mw with the opening of the first phase of the 2,520mw capacity Umm al Houl Station, adding more than 1,612mw or about 25% of the power generated in Qatar. The station also provides 30% of the potable water for the country's requirements.Now, Qatar has a surplus of nearly 2,300mw, which could be effectively used in the event of an emergency, it has been pointed out.Another significant development of 2017 was the successful laying of more than 100km of under sea cables to link Doha with Halul island. This under sea line is considered the longest in the Gulf region.New power stations to link with World Cup stadiums would be built at Al Jehaniya, Al Heyden, Al Wukair and Ras Aboud. The one near Khalifa Sports City has already been opened. The country has nearly 13,513 power distribution stations, of which 1,008 were opened last year.The corporation has also informed that with the complete commissioning of the five mega water reservoirs by 2026, the country would have the storage facility for 2,300 million gallons a day (mlgd) of water. In the first phase it would have a storage capacity of 1,400mlgd. One of the five stations would be ready in the first quarter of 2018. The reservoirs are being built at Umm Slal, Umm Mubaraka, Rawdat Rashed, Abu Nakla and Thumama. As part of the ambitious project 15 water tanks are being built and the reservoir project is supposed to be one of the largest in the world. The project also involves nearly 650km of pipelines to link them.An agreement has been signed with a major Japanese company to develop a 1,500mw integrated water and power plant in Ras Laffan.It has also been mentioned that Kahramaa Awareness Park, which was opened last year, has received more than 25,000 visitors from various sectors. The park is functioning wholly through alternative sources of energy like solar, wind and other methods.