Japanese industrial conglomerate Sumitomo Corporation has announced that its consortium has secured a contract from Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) for the construction and operation of a 2,400MW natural gas-fired power plant at a key site in the country’s Ras Abu Fontas area.
In addition to this, the Sumitomo consortium – comprising Japanese group Shikoku Electric Power Company alongside Korean entities Kospo (Korea Southern Power Company) and KIND (Korea Overseas Infrastructure & Urban Development Corporation) will also be responsible for the development of a seawater desalination facility with a 110 MIGD capacity in the area.
These utility projects will be coming up on the site of an old power plant located approximately 25km south of capital Doha. On the long-term power and water sale agreement with Kahramaa, Sumitomo Corporation said this was the first power project for the Japanese group in Qatar.
Compared to existing gas-fired power plants, the new plant will employ high-efficiency gas turbines that consume less gas and emit lower levels of CO2 and other pollutants, contributing to stable energy supplies and decarbonization efforts in Qatar, it stated.
In the future, the Government of Qatar and the project company will explore new plans for Carbon Capture and Storage (CSS) to further reduce CO2 emissions, it added. The Japanese industrial conglomerate also pointed out that this marked its second collaboration with Shikoku Electric for an overseas project, following the Hamriyah Independent Power Project in Sharjah, UAE.
While, this is Sumitomo’s debut power project in Qatar, for its Japanese partner Shikoku Electric, this is its second, following the Ras Laffan C Water and Power Project.
Sumitomo Corporation has previously managed private-sector independent power projects (IPP) and independent water and power projects (IWPP) in the Middle East, including Kuwait and the UAE, and has expertise in maintenance and operations.
Through this project, Sumitomo Corporation will contribute to the stable supply of electricity and water in Qatar.