Doha: Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) launched a QR400m ‘Al Suwaidi Super Substation’ yesterday. The substation will be the first major substation with a voltage of (132/400)KV to be implemented in the heart of Doha.
The inauguration came as part of the thirteenth phase of the electricity transmission grids expansion project in Qatar. This year, about 28 substations have been inaugurated, with three more substations under construction. Some substations are expected to be launched next month, bringing the number of substations to over 320.
Project Manager, Eng. Maitha Al Nuaimi estimated the substation’s overall capacity at around 1000MVA, which will suffice to provide three vital residential areas with power supply (Al Sadd, Bin Mahmoud, and Fareej Al Sudan), in addition to the stations connected to the rail project.
Building such a substation came as part of the plan to expand electricity transmission grids in Qatar. It was constructed according to the highest safety and security standards, with two million working hours without injuries.
Officials, engineers, technicians, supervisors, and workers of Kahramaa have attended the inauguration.
Eng. Muhammad Al Kubaisi, Head of Transmission Operations and Maintenance Section, Electricity Transmission Department, said that this inauguration demonstrates Kahramaa’s ability to meet new challenges by upgrading and expanding the existing main substation, adding a 400KV grid to it, and installing cables with a voltage of 400KV and a length of 16km to connect Al Suwaidi Substation with the Greater Doha South Substation.
On her part, Eng. Aisha Al Muhammadi, Head of the Transmission Grids Planning Section, indicated that the new substation plays a vital role in providing an alternative power supply for Al Bidda Metro Station, one of the major stations in its network. This serves to increase reliability and enhance support for Al Sadd and Bin Mahmoud stations, as the areas containing these stations are densely populated and are under high electrical loads.
This also allows for the possibility of establishing other stations, such as Al Amir Team Station, and transferring some loads from Al Wajba Super Substation to Al Suwaidi Substation, she added.
Eng. Ali Rashid, Head of the Operation Team at the Electricity Transmission Department, pointed out that the establishment of Al Suwaidi Substation is part of Kahramaa’s relentless efforts to improve the infrastructure of the electricity sector in Qatar and to meet the growing demands of electric power.
Rashid said it also aims to enhance the security and sustainability of the services provided through the transmission and distribution grids.