Northern emirates could raise power output

Abu Dhabi: The northern emirates could increase their power output by as much as 50 per cent if the majority of their electricity generating stations, which are currently using the open cycle gas turbine system, are converted into combined cycle gas/steam turbine system, Khalid Malallah Al Awadi, gas operations manager for Emirates General Petroleum Corporation (Emarat) said on Tuesday.

"Such conversion may take up to a year, but the additional power generation will be equivalent to three years' growth in demand for power. So, that means the generating company won't have to buy more gas or oil for meeting the growth in industrial demand for power for the next three years," Al Awadi told Gulf News.

Annual figures

The power suppliers to the northern emirates - the Federal Electricity and Water Authority (Fewa) generated 5,744 gigawatt hours (GWH) of power in 2007, while the Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (Sewa) generated 8,850 GWH.

According to industry sources, in 2008, Fewa is estimated to generate 6,605 GWH while that of Sewa is estimated at 9,550 GWH.

The current natural gas demand-supply gap in the UAE is 1.5 billion cubic feet per day during the summer months - July, August and September - with expensive liquid fuels making up for the shortfall.

Now, for example, if Sewa were to convert to a combined cycle, its power output capacity based on 2008 power generation estimates would rise to 12,415 GWH (9550x0.5x0.6) said Al Awadi. For Fewa, upon conversion to a combined cycle, its power generation capacity would go up to 8,586.5 GWH on the same volume of oil and gas proposed to be used for electricity generation in 2008, he said.

The UAE's annual growth in gas consumption for power ranges between 10 per cent and 13 per cent. While the current supply is 4 billion cubic feet per day, the demand is 5.5 billion and this doesn't include liquefied natural gas (LNG) and gas used for re-injections for crude production enhancement.

"In the long term, we need to tap nuclear and solar energy for meeting our power needs and reduce dependence on oil and gas for electricity generation," Al Awadi said.