Qatar Fuel (Woqod) is planning to open 15 new petrol stations this year in select locations within Doha and other parts of Qatar, a company executive has said.
“This year, we will try our best to open 15 new stations. We are in negotiations with the government for around 40 lands, which will be given to us soon. As we said earlier, our plan is to operate 100 stations by 2020,” Woqod CEO Ibrahim Jaham al-Kuwari told Gulf Times yesterday.
He was speaking on the sidelines of the company’s annual general meeting, presided over by Woqod chairman Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani.
Al-Kuwari said Woqod currently operates a total of 56 petrol stations around the country. In 2016, he said Woqod was able to open 19 new stations, including mobile terminals in different parts of the country.
In Woqod’s 2016 annual report, al-Kuwari said in addition to the stations that opened and began operating last year, there are nine new locations in the process of obtaining final licences in Al A’akla, Lusail in North Doha; al A’aqda in Al Khor, Abu Nakhla on Salwa Road; Aba Sulail on the southern road; Hamad International Airport; and Umm Ghuwailina in central Doha.
“In addition, construction of new stations is gathering pace in Assalata Al Jadidah, Al Thumama, and Jabal Thuaylib in the Lusail area. It is expected that these stations will open in 2017 after they’ve been issued the final necessary licences to begin operation,” al-Kuwari reported.
In addition to the Fahes Centres currently operating, al-Kuwari reported that there are three other centres under construction in Al Shahaniya, Al Khor, and Al Wukair, all of which will have teams of technicians to manufacture and install vehicle number plates.
“Completion is expected during the first half of 2017. In addition, there are four other centres under allocation in Al Mazroua’a, Madinat Al Shamal, Al Wajbah, and Mesaimeer South, which are all expected to be completed by the end of 2017,” al-Kuwari said.
During the meeting, Sheikh Saoud said: “With regard to the performance of Qatar Fuel in 2016 and our plans for this year, I am pleased to say that it has been positive and on a continuous path of sustainable development, which the company’s management is keen to realise, despite all the difficulties and challenges.”
He added: “New stations are nearing completion, and awaiting final approval to launch operations during 2017, and sites that have been allocated for new projects this year, in addition to the projects that have been completed and new products that have been launched, such as WOQODe.”