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29 March 2024

Power, water projects worth Dh1.65bn will be up for bidding in RAK

Published
By Staff

Two utility projects worth $450 million (Dh1.65 billion) will be up for bidding in Ras Al Khaimah to meet the growing demand as well as to enable new developers to participate in the development of utility infrastructure, said Utico, the local private utility responsible for floating the tenders.

The power tender will be an initial tender to supply 20MW of solar power.

A separate tender for the water project will focus on the supply of approximately 22 million gallons of water per day. The projects will be located at various strategic locations in Ras Al Khaimah. It is anticipated that the emirate will require more than 100 million gallons of water in the coming years in view of its strategic location and growing regional demand.

A top Utico official said that the opening of the tenders to all companies in the region and beyond would ensure sustainable growth in the emirate as well as to enable other developers and technology providers to participate in such developments in a profitable and sustainable manner. The tenders follow the recent initiative taken by the RAK Sewage Authority for privatizing the emirate’s sewerage services. Several international companies participated in the tender.

There will also be further tenders worth millions of dollars for transmission and distribution, storage tanks, and pumping stations in the coming months. Major tenders will also be out once the construction of the $550 million clean coal power project gets underway early next year. The project is the first of its kind in the world, and once complete, it will generate of over 270 MW power. Strict environmental compliance is being attached to this project. TUV Nord of Germany recently completed the Environment Impact Assessment of the project, a key necessity for its construction.

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has lately announced a similar clean coal power and carbon capture project of its own which is set to the largest such project in the world. Several companies are vying to lead the project on behalf of Dewa.

Further initiatives for water and power are being supported to meet Ras Al Khaimah’s growing demand and its planning needs for up to 2018. The power and water projects have assumed greater significance, given the emirate’s drive to achieve total self-sufficiency and support private initiatives.

More IWPP projects will be discussed at length during the upcoming 2nd Global IWPP (Independent Water and Power Projects) Summit, set to take place in Ras Al Khaimah from November 24-26. The summit is being held under the patronage of Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, and is being organised by Fleming Gulf.

The summit will discuss the challenges, issues and opportunities in the independent power and water sector in the Gulf region. The three-day event once again brings together policy makers, top utility leaders, ministries and technology leaders in the business community to share their vision in order to establish the initiatives required for the right solution.

The IWPP Summit has also become an important platform to announce critical projects across the region. Last year’s inaugural summit saw several high-profile announcements, including Utico’s agreement with Shanghai Electric to set up the more than Dh1.5 billion clean coal-fired power plant in Ras Al Khaimah.