Abu Dhabi power capacity surges to 16,622 MW

The Abu Dhabi Department of Energy (DoE) said on Saturday that the emirate's electricity production recorded a 1.4 per cent growth in 2019 as the available capacity surged to 16,622 MW.
The total electricity system demand peaked at 11,080 MW on July 11, a 1.9 per cent increase from last year (10,876 MW, according to the department's annual technical report.
According to the report, the sector generated 84,182 GWh (gigawatt hours), an increase of 1.4 per cent on the previous year, while Abu Dhabi electricity generation assets had an available capacity of 16,622 MW.
Abu Dhabi's total water demand in 2018 peaked at 828 MIGD (3.76 million imperial gallons per day), due to population, economic and industrial growth as its nine major desalination plants recorded a total gross production capacity of 960 MIGD (4.36 million cubic metre per day) and produced a total of 267,107 MIG (1,214 million cubic metre) in 2018, averaging 732 MIGD (3.33 million cubic metre per day.
In general, thermal desalination accounted for 85 per cent of the water production in Abu Dhabi while the remaining 15 per cent was generated by seawater reverse osmosis, said the report.
DoE chairman, Awaidha Murshed Al Marar, said the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy continues to lay the groundwork for the energy sector's transformation, guided by the directives of the UAE's wise leadership, and the local and national visions and strategies put forth to improve the sector's performance, ensure a sustainable supply, and play an active role in the economic and social development of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE as a whole.
"Implementing governance and transparency principles in the management of the energy sector is an important instrument we can rely on to ensure success in the energy transformation plan we have set for Abu Dhabi," Al Marar said. "This report offers us an opportunity to go over what has already been accomplished across various sectors in the first year of the Department's operations. It also offers a roadmap that highlights the elements we most need to concentrate on and develop to continue along our mission."
DoE's Undersecretary Mohammed bin Jarsh Al Falasi asserted that the department works in close collaboration with all companies operating in the sector, functioning as one team with one set of synchronised goals, in an effort to cement Abu Dhabi's status as a leading global energy capital.
In terms of water quality measurement and analysis across the desalination plants, a total of 57,249 tests were completed with 64 water quality determinants examined for RO and 51 for thermal desalinated water. The overall compliance with the sampling frequency measure (SFM) was 100 per cent, while prescribed concentration or value (PCV) was 99.91 per cent.
The report findings indicate that Abu Dhabi has a collection network of 8,447km, while the wastewater collected in 2018 was 311,858 MI averaging 855 MI per day. The emirate also has 39 sewage treatment plants operated by ADSSC with a total capacity of treating 1,298 MI per day of wastewater.
The average recycled water produced was 822 MI per day with 57.5 per cent reused predominantly for landscape irrigation purposes. Recycled water quality compliance for 2018 was 99 per cent in sanitary, 97 per cent in microbiological and 97 per cent in trace elements parameters. For biosolids, 48,670 dry tonnes were 100 per cent transferred to landfill sites for disposal.
The report says that the transmission network for transporting electricity from production companies to distribution companies includes 994km of underground cables and 8,222km of overhead lines owned by TRANSCO, the sole licensee for electricity transmission in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. For distribution, ADDC and AADC own a total of 70,394km of cable and overhead lines in addition to 34,737 substations to distribute electricity to customers across the emirate. The total number of electricity connected customers reached 531,951 by end of 2018 - 380,268 served by ADDC and 151,683 by AADC.
issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com