Utilities
From The Report: Abu Dhabi 2016
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With the decline in oil prices placing the federal budget under pressure, and demand for power and water increasing at a rapid rate, the authorities have turned their attention toward more effective consumer pricing and demand management. Diversification away from reliance on combined-cycle gas independent water and power producers will have a transformative effect on the supply side of the sector in the coming years. Renewable energy is expected to play an increasingly important role in Abu Dhabi’s power generation in the near future, with the emirate working towards a 7% renewable target by 2020. The biggest shake-up to Abu Dhabi’s power sector, however, will arrive with the launch of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, which is due to begin producing power in 2017 and will eventually have an output of 5600 MW – representing more than a third of current generation capacity.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Stable supply: While efforts to diversify the energy mix are ongoing, emphasis is now on more effective demand management
OBG
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Nearly two decades on from reforms which introduced private investment and an unbundled operational structure to the sector, Abu Dhabi’s utilities are on a sound footing. With nearly a 30% cushion between peak load and installed capacity (as of 2014), it is clear that the emirate’s model of encouraging partnership with international investors to secure a stable supply of power has paid off. However, with the decline in oil prices placing the federal budget under pressure, and demand for power…

Analysis

Waste not, want not: A long-term plan to improve the emirate’s waste management and water treatment system
OBG
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With a growing economy and population, the emirate of Abu Dhabi continues to consume more and, as a result, produce a substantial amount of waste. In recent years the emirate has succeeded in reducing the amount of solid waste produced, from 9.6m tonnes in 2009 to 8.39m tonnes in 2015, according to official statistics reported by Tadweer. However, the amount is still high, and finding ways to manage waste effectively will be an ongoing challenge. At the same time, ever-greater quantities of desalinated…