Bahrain's $439 Million Power-Build Part of Middle East Development Plans

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Written by Richard Finlayson, Senior International Editor for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Bahrain's energy ministry has announced that 21 power stations will be built in the country, requiring a total investment of $439 million.

These smaller-scale stations will be spread across the country. Two 220-volt stations have started operating in the Seef District and Bahrain Financial Harbor, requiring combined investment of $61 million. A 66-V Bahrain Investment power station has been set up for $12 million.

Now under construction are 18 power plants, five of which are 220-V and will cost $148 million. The remaining 13 66-V stations are being set up with an investment of $148 million.

At the other end of the power generation scale, Bahrain's Al Dur Power and Water Company's power and water desalination plant achieved full commercial operation levels in February. This is the largest independent plant of its type in Bahrain producing 1,234 MW of power and 48 million imperial gallons per day.

It is the largest desalination plant in the Middle East to employ reverse osmosis technology. The Bahraini Electricity and Water Authority is the sole off-taker of the plant output under a 25 year power and water purchase agreement.

In the broader context of the UAE industrial projects pipeline for 2012, it has been reported that more than $15 billion worth of contracts will be awarded in the territory this year.

Currently the total value of UAE construction projects is estimated to be $1.249 trillion, with buildings requiring $871 billion of the total; oil, gas, petrochemicals, power and water projects $191 billion; and infrastructure $187 billion, according to Ventures Middle East.

The exhibition director of World ecoConstruct (Abu Dhabi, April 22-25), Tsitsi Lynn Makuni, said that the latest figures illustrate that the Middle East continues its aggressive development plans."The Abu Dhabi executive council has approved spending on the new billion-dollar airport terminal, a metro system, two industrial zones, more than 20,000 new homes, 14 new hospitals and 24 new schools," she said.

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