ITP MEDIA GROUP / BUSINESS JANUARY 2021• VOL. 15, ISSUE 01 As we unveil the 2020 edition of our Utilities Power 50, TAQA Group CEO and Managing Director Jasim Husain Thabet discusses the role of TAQA in enabling a robust utilities sector ITP MEDIA GROUP / BUSINESS JANUARY 2021• VOL. 15, ISSUE 01OPTIMISE COOLING TOWER EFFICIENCY WITH WATER CONDITIONING DECENTRALISED WATER TREATMENT: REDUCE OPEX PREVENT HEALTH RISKS AVOID RISK OF NON-COMPLIANCE Tr ademark s displa yed in this ma terial, including but not limited to Grundf os , the Grundf os log o and “be think inno va te” ar e register ed tr ademark s o wned b y The Grundf os Gr oup . All righ ts reser ved. © 20 20 Grundf os Holding A /S , all righ ts reser ved. INTELLIGENT WATER CONDITIONING AND BLOWDOWN CONTROL Avoiding biological contamination and maintaining proper water quality optimises cooling water’s operational efficiency. Water conditioning for this purpose requires extremely accurate dosing of chemicals. Grundfos iSOLUTIONS offers a smart dosing solution that reliably manages chemicals, surveillance and reporting. The solution combines our DID measuring and control system with our SMART Digital dosing pump technology, our chemical management app and cloud-based monitoring system. Not only does the solution reduce chemical, water and energy consumption but it also eases compliance reporting when authorities require. Read more about the benefits of Grundfos iSOLUTIONS in decentralised water treatment at grundfos.sa GRUNDFOS iSOLUTIONS A SMART SOLUTION FOR YOU 4011666_GSA-Water-Treatment_2020_Ad_WaterConditioning_ASSFY_205x275mm_5mmBleed_ART01_AT.indd 14011666_GSA-Water-Treatment_2020_Ad_WaterConditioning_ASSFY_205x275mm_5mmBleed_ART01_AT.indd 19/30/20 3:31 PM9/30/20 3:31 PMCONTENTS www.utilities-me.com January 2021 / Utilities Middle East 3 Volume 15 | Issue 01 Contents Recognising the best of utilities Baset Asaba, Editor Email: baset.asaba@itp.com View point POWER 50 In no particular order, Utilities Middle East recognises the top 50 professionals in the region’s utilities industry Due to the eff ects of Covid-19, the utilities sector fi nds itself pulled to economise and pushed to innovate, two goals that might seem to confl ict, but that are actually in harmony. The pull comes from a prolonged downturn in oil revenue that con- tinues to put a strain on public expenditure on infrastructure. Revenue growth is almost certain to continue slowing. Off setting this trend, however, is a surge in demand for new power and utilities off erings — a surge so strong that the indus- try hasn’t yet caught up to it. Innovations in power-sector tech- nology, such as new storage battery options and smartphone- based thermostat apps, are advancing at a pace that has sur- prised developers and adopters alike. Customers are asking for these products. To meet that demand, industry leaders are integrating those innovations into their operations and infrastructure as rapidly as they can. If your company is in the power and utilities sector, the chal- lenge you face is to close the demand gap and provide value for customers profi tably. Do so, and you can expect a future of growth and customer loyalty. Fail, and you may risk being eclipsed by upstart competitors. Because of the changes in customer demand, being a lead- ing innovator is a much more compelling strategy than it used to be in the power and utilities sector. Digital technologies are evolving, and customers are quick to adopt them. Both business and consumer energy users are clear about their expectations. They want to reduce their consumption, and they know that technological controls and data analytics can help them do it. To capitalise on this emerging market opportunity, a number of local and international players are positioning themselves as the disruptors and innovators in the GCC utili- ties space, setting new drivers for growth and success. In this issue of UME, we recognise the top 50 profession- als that continue to lead and shape the GCC utilities industry. We have used our best judgement and understanding of the current state of the industry to come up with the list. A lot of thanks go to all the companies that took part in our survey for supporting the 2020 GCC Utilities Power 50 List.CONTENTS 4 Utilities Middle East / January 2021 www.utilities-me.com Global solar PV installa- tions predicted to rise by 5%, desiped Covid-19 effects Despite the world economy facing severe economic disruption due to the coronavirus pandemic, global solar photovoltaic (PV) installations are set to rise by 5% from the total installed globally in 2019 02 Grundfos appoints Poul Due Jensen as new CEO Poul Due Jensen has been at Grundfos for over 20 years and looks forward to further developing Grundfos’ global leadership position within water and pump solutions to tackle the world’s water and climate challenges 03 Ducab to install HV cables for MBR Solar Park Phase 5 Ducab HV, a subsidiary of Ducab Group, announced that it will supply and install high-voltage cable for Phase 5 of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park (MBR Solar Park), the world’s largest single-site solar park based on the independent power producer model 05 20 18 05 UPDATES 07 NEWS ANALYSIS 11 POWER 50 22 POWER 50 28 POWER 50 34 FINAL WORD 08 11 Hydrogen produced with renewable electricity could compete on costs with fossil fuel alternatives by 2030, accord- ing to a new report from the Inter- national Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) publidshed SPECIAL EDITION ALSO THIS MONTH 08 FUTURE OF RE Signifi cant progress had been made on various aspects of the Sustain- able Development Goal (SDG) 7 prior to the start of the COVID-19 crisis. This includes a notable reduction in the number of people worldwide lack- ing access to electricity, strong uptake of renew- able energy for elec- tricity generation, and improvements in energy effi ciency. Despite these advances, global efforts remain insuffi cient to reach SDG targets. 18 AHMAD BIN SHAFAR Ahmad bin Shafar is recognised among the top 50 utilities profes- sionals in the Middle East. He is the Chief Executive Offi cer (CEO) of Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower) since 2004. 11 UTILITIES POWER 50 As the utilities industry navigates through the ef- fects of Covid-19, Utilities Middle East celebrates the top 50 professionals who continue to contrib- ute towards building a resilient utilities sector in the Middle East. Among them is Jasim Husain Thabet who assumed the role of TAQA Group Chief Executive Offi cer and Managing Director in July 2020, after having joined the Board of Directors the previous year. 20 75 YEARS OF NUCLEAR SUCCESS Rami Ghandour is listed among the top 50 utilities professionals in the Middle East. He joined Metito Group in 2004. He set up Metito Utilities to serve as the investment arm of the Group. Most popular news stories on www. Utilities-me.comitiesNews The Saudi publicly-owned Corporation Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) has awarded ACCIONA, and its partner RTCC, the design and con- struction of the Shuqaiq 1 desalination plant on the Red Sea coast in Saudi Arabia. The contract amount awarded is US $384 million. The plant, equipped with reverse osmosis technology, will have a daily capacity of 400,000 m3/day. It will help to improve the supply of drinking water and off set water shortages in south-west Saudi Arabia by providing a new source of potable water. The project includes the marine works, the civil works on the plant, the supply and installation of electromechanical and electrical equipment, start-up and pre- and post-treatment systems the start up and commissioning. The facility, which is expected to be com- pleted in 2023, is ACCIONA´S fi fth desalination plant built in the country and the third awarded to the company by SWCC. As Mohamed Seb- bane, Head of ACCIONA’s Water Division in Saudi Arabia, says: “Working with SWCC for the third time is an honor and a great satisfaction, and at the same time it is a challenge to continuously improve our delivery”. ACCIONA has become one of the main water infrastructure companies in one of the areas of the planet that suff ers the highest levels of water stress. According to “World Water Development Report 2019”, the Middle East is currently the world region with the severest water shortages. While the average availability of water world- wide is 7,453 m3 per capita per year, in the Middle East this fi gure falls to 736 m3, according to the latest fi gures available from Aquastat. Last year, ACCIONA won a 530-million-dollar contract for the design, construction, operation -and maintenance for 25 years- of the Shuqaiq3 desalination plant. It is currently under con- struction and is expected to be completed some- time in 2021, after which ACCIONA will head the joint venture that will operate and maintain the plant. It will have a treatment capacity of 450,000 m³ per day to provide a service to a pop- ulation equivalent of two million. It will also be equipped with a photovoltaic plant to reduce the energy consumed in its operation. The company was recently awarded a turnkey contract valued around US$499 million for the Al Khobar RO2 plant in Khobar. REGIONAL UPDATE // ESSENTIAL INSIGHTS FOR MIDDLE EAST WATER, GAS AND ELECTRICITY PROFESSIONALS ACCIONA to build fi fth desalination plant in Saudi SWCC´s Shuqaiq SWRO 1 will have a daily capacity of 400,000 m3/day Desalination www.utilities-me.com January 2021 / Utilities Middle East 5Yellow Door Energy closes 2020 with $41 million worth of new projects Yellow Door Energy, the leading sustainable energy provider for businesses in the Middle East, has announced closing 2020 with an impressive AED 150 million (USD 41 million) worth of new projects in the region, including projects in the UAE, Jordan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. In 2020, the company’s operating projects generated 60 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy, equivalent to reducing carbon emissions by 36 million kilograms or planting 600,000 trees. The achievement comes in line with the Company’s vision to power emerging economies reliably, effi ciently and sustainably. The projects, which provide affordable solar power to businesses without any upfront investment, also contribute to local sustainability goals in their respective countries, as well as to creating new job opportunities and enhancing economy in local communities. Commenting on this success, Jeremy Crane, CEO and Co- Founder of Yellow Door Energy, said: “Despite unfavorable economic conditions around the globe caused by the COVID-19 situation, we persevered and continued to deliver a strong performance across the region in 2020. This is yet another testimony that sustainability is a top priority. ing its diversity, as well as being in alignment with the objectives of Vision 2030. He also noted that the two sides are working on a smart infrastructure based on smart electricity transmission net- SEC signs MoU with JBIC to fi nance projects The Saudi Electricity Com- pany (SEC) has signed a memo- randum of understanding (MoU) with Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) to fi nance SEC projects and to promote energy conversion, environmen- tal and social responsibility in Saudi Arabia’s energy sector. The MoU outlines that both companies hold regular discus- sions, share information and develop solutions to promote energy conversion and sustain- ability in the energy sector, the Saudi Press Agency reported. SEC CEO Fahad Al-Sudairi said that the signing of this memoran- dum comes in line with the minis- try of energy’s aspirations aimed at sustaining the energy sector, raising its reliability and expand- Power Substations DEWA commissions 132/11kV substation at Al Qusais The substation has a conversion capacity of 150 megavolt-amperes Both companies are working on smart infrastructure based on smart elec- tricity transmission networks and automating distribution networks DEWA has inaugurated a new 132/11kV substation at Al Qusais Industrial Area, in collabora- tion with Wasl Properties. This is part of DEWA’s efforts to pro- vide a state-of-the-art infrastruc- ture to meet growing demand and the needs of the domestic, commercial, and industrial sec- tors. The substation has a con- version capacity of 150 mega- volt-amperes with 2,400 metres of 132kV ground cables to con- nect it to DEWA’s grid. The proj- ect, at a total cost of AED 97 mil- lion, included over 1.6 million safe working hours without inju- ries, despite the obstacles asso- ciated with the coronavirus epi- demic during the fi nal phases of the project. The latest technol- ogies were used to follow work progress remotely, according to the highest standards of health, safety, and security. “We work in line with the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to develop an advanced infrastructure. This ensures providing electricity and water services according to the highest standards of availability, reliability, effi ciency, and safety. Inaugurating the 132/11kV sub- station in Al Qusais Industrial Area is part of DEWA’s efforts to increase the capacity and effi - ciency of the power transmission network and meet the require- works and automating distri- bution networks and smart meters, as all these initiatives will increase the reliability and effi ciency of the service and con- tribute positively to environmen- tal and social sustainability. ments of customers, developers, and the businesses in that area,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA. Al Tayer noted that the total cost of DEWA’s electricity trans- mission network projects under construction exceeds AED 10 bil- lion. He said that DEWA increases the capacity of electricity gen- eration, transmission, and dis- tribution networks based on the demand forecast up to 2030. NEWS 6 Utilities Middle East / January 2021 www.utilities-me.comMHPS_98185 Utilities Middle East 205mmx275mm_OL.indd 1MHPS_98185 Utilities Middle East 205mmx275mm_OL.indd 112/8/20 7:16 PM12/8/20 7:16 PMINDUSTRY TRENDS 8 Utilities Middle East / January 2021 www.utilities-me.com IRENA estimates that green hydrogen could compete with costs of fossil fuel alternatives in the next 10 years GREEN HYDROGENINDUSTRY TRENDS www.utilities-me.com January 2021 / Utilities Middle East 9 Hydrogen produced with renewable electricity could compete on costs with fossil fuel alternatives by 2030, according to a new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) published today. A combination of fall- ing costs for solar and wind power, improved performance as well as economies of scale for electrolysers could make it possible. ‘Green Hydrogen Cost Reduction: scaling up electroly- sers to meet the 1.5 C climate goal’ looks at driv- ers for innovation and presents strategies that governments can peruse to reduce the cost of electrolysers by 40% in the short term and by up to 80% in the long term. Green hydrogen could play a critical role in decarbonisation strate- gies, particularly so where direct electrifi cation is challenging in harder-to-abate sectors, such as steel, chemicals, long-haul transport, ship- ping and aviation. However, regulations, market design and the costs of power and electrolyser production are still major barrier to the uptake of green hydrogen. “Renewable hydrogen can be a game-changer in global eff orts to decarbo- nise our economies”, said Francesco La Camera, Director-General of IRENA. “Levelling the play- ing fi eld to close the cost gap between fossil fuels and green hydrogen is necessary. Cost-compet- itive green hydrogen can help us build a resil- ient energy system that thrives on modern tech- nologies and embraces innovative solutions fi t for the 21st century.” Today, green hydrogen is 2-3 times more expensive than blue hydro- gen, produced from fossil fuels in combination with carbon capture and storage (CCS). The pro- duction cost for green hydrogen is determined by the renewable electricity price, the invest- ment cost of the electrolyser and its operat- ing hours. Renewables have already become the cheapest source of power in many parts of the world, with auctions reaching record price- lows below USD 20 per megawatt-hour (MWh). While low-cost electricity is a necessary con- dition for competitive green hydrogen, invest- ment costs for electrolysis facilities must fall sig- nifi cantly too. IRENA’s new study identifi es key strategies and policies to reduce costs for elec- trolysers through innovation and improved performance aiming to scale up electrolysers from today’s megawatt to multi-gigawatt (GW) levels. Standardisation and mass-manufactur- ing of the electrolyser stacks, effi ciency in oper- ation as well as the optimisation of material pro- curement and supply chains will be equally important to bring down costs. For that, today’s manufacturing capacity of less than 1 GW would have to massively grow beyond 100 GW in the next 10 to 15 years. In the best-case scenario, using low-cost renewable electricity at USD 20 USD/MWh in large, cost-competitive electroly- ser facilities could produce green hydrogen at a competitive cost with blue hydrogen already today. If rapid scale-up and aggressive electroly- sers deployment take place in the next decade, green hydrogen could then start competing on costs with blue hydrogen by 2030 in many coun- tries, making it cheaper than other low-car- bon alternatives before 2040, IRENA’s analysis shows. Next >