No power shortage in Sharjah: Sewa chief

Residents of Sharjah are not going to face any hikes in power and water bills as Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (Sewa) is not going to hike tariffs, its Chairman told Emirates 24|7.

Dr Rashid Al Leem

“There will be no hikes in our tariffs,” Dr Rashid Al Leem said in response to a question from this website.

Electricity tariffs for nationals is 7.5 fils for each k/w and 1.5 fils for each gallon of water, while for expatriates it is 30 fils for each k/w of electricity and 3 fils for each gallon of water.

Ruling out any power shortage in the emirate, the chairman said: “Every building has got a connection date and we are honouring the connection dates. We have enough capacity and we have enough load and we are distributing according to the time given.”

He revealed that 3,000 new meter connections had been given from January 2016 to date, compared to only 5,000 in 2015.

In March 2016, Sewa announced the commissioning and inauguration of Dh105 million Al Khan power transmission and distribution station as part of their plan for expansion of their transmission network to cope with the projected rising energy demands.

The 132/33/11 kv station will mainly meet electricity needs in new residential districts in Al Khan, Al Nahda and Al Taawun.

“Sewa is working at full throttle to complete all power and water projects within its Strategic Plan 2020 so as to provide reliable electricity, water and natural gas services to customers,” he added.

In December 2015, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dewa, told Emirates 24|7 that they will continue to maintain the current utility tariffs and fuel surcharge despite having to pay higher for liquefied natural gas (LNG).

“The fall in prices of crude oil has no impact on our prices and surcharge as our prices are linked to LNG for which we have signed long-term contracts and agreements,” Al Tayer said.

Read: No low oil impact: Dubai to maintain Dewa tariffs, fuel surcharge

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