Qatar aims to cut summer power blackouts

Hundreds of old transformers will soon be replaced as part of a campaign to reduce the number of summer power blackouts in Qatar.

The Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) has launched a new initiative which includes the replacement of obsolete transformers and better maintenance of the power plants, according to a senior official.

Abdullah Ali Diyab, director, Electricity Distribution Networks, Kahramaa said more than 460 old and poorly performing transformers would soon be replaced with the new ones.

The installation of the new high-voltage transformers are expected to cope with the extra demands during the peak summer, he added in comments published by The Peninsula on Wednesday.

“We have already changed some old transformers which have been contributing to the frequent disruptions. The installation of the 400-odd new transformers is expected to bring a drastic cut in the disruption rate”, he said.

Kahramaa has been trying hard to improve its performance level over the last few years.

The latest Kahramaa statistics shows that interruption per customer rate decreased in 2008 to 0.48 against the 0.69 of 2007. Last year, average interruptions lasted 75.2 minutes against 123 minutes in 2007.

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