Abu Dhabi to build three power plants

The UAE capital plans to build at least three new electricity generation and water desalination plants by 2016 to meet surging demand from energy projects and a growing population, a regulatory executive said yesterday.

The three plants will have capacity of around 5,000 mega watts of power and about 300 million gallons per day of water in total, said Nick Carter, Director-General of the Regulation and Supervision Bureau of Abu Dhabi.

"We expect we need at least three more power plants between now and 2016," he told the Meed conference.

Demand for power will peak to around 14,000 to 15,000MW in Abu Dhabi in 2016 he said adding that current demand is about 8,000MW.

Abu Dhabi's current installed capacity is 10,000MW. "The largest driver for power demand will be Adnoc which requires 2500MW of power by 2014 for its gas and other projects," he said.

The other demand drivers are industry (2000MW), commercial (1600MW) and residential.

Power demand in the emirate is projected to grow at an average 11 per cent annually in the next 10 years compared to an average of seven per cent in the past 20 years, according to Keith Miller, Director of Planning and Studies, Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Company.

 

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