A POWER and water plant that will fuel Bahrain’s growth and secure supplies well into this decade with the potential to export power to neighbouring states was formally opened recently, several months after it began commercial operations.

His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa opened the Al Dur Power and Water Company’s plant that has a capacity of 1,234 MW of power and 218,000 cu m per day of the highest quality of water in the GCC region.

“This is equivalent to approximately one-third of the kingdom’s installed power capacity and one-third of its water requirements,” a statement from the company said. “With the additional capacity that Al Dur will supply to the national grid of the kingdom, the plant has the potential to transform Bahrain from an importer of power at peak periods of usage to an exporter of power to other GCC countries. The Bahraini Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) is the sole off-taker of the plant output under a 25-year Power and Water Purchase Agreement.

Al Dur was developed at a total cost of $2.1 billion by International Power-GDF Suez, a world leader in independent power and water generation, and Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC), the largest financial investor in power and water projects in the GCC region. Its shareholders include a number of local Bahraini institutions, namely the Social Insurance Organisation, Bahrain Islamic Bank, Capital Management House, First Energy Bank and Instrata Capital.

His Majesty King Hamad and Bahrain’s Prime Minister HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa

Abdulhussain bin Ali Mirza, Bahrain’s Minister of Electricity, said EWA is working hand-in-hand with the private sector in order to support government efforts to expand the kingdom’s infrastructure. “We are confident that the launch of Al Dur and its partnership with EWA will ensure the stable and secure supply of power and water to support ongoing growth and diversification of the economy,” he said, adding that the significant investment made by the shareholders of Al Dur was a direct reflection of their confidence in the kingdom, its leadership and its strong prospects for the future.

”We are delighted to inaugurate this landmark project in the Kingdom of Bahrain,” said Hisham Al Razzuqi, chief executive officer of Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC). 

“As Bahrain’s single largest independent producer of power and water, Al Dur is a critical part of the kingdom’s economic infrastructure,” commented Al Razzuqi.  “With the launch of commercial operations at the plant, the kingdom’s power and water supply has been secured well into this decade. Reliable access to power and water is essential to fuelling growth and we are proud to play an important part in the kingdom’s further economic development for the benefits of all citizens.”

Developed and built by best-in-class partners and contractors, Al Dur uses cutting-edge technologies that put the plant at the forefront of reliability, safety and environmental friendliness. The plant is fully compliant with World Bank standards for environmental emissions and its drinking water meets or exceeds World Health Organisation (WHO) requirements.

The plant’s technology and design provide other unique features ensuring uninterrupted production and supply of power and water. Al Dur is capable of transferring automatically to liquid diesel fuel in the unforeseen event of gas supply disruption. It is also the only private power production facility in the kingdom capable of independently restarting the national grid in the unlikely event of a nationwide black out.