THE GCC power generation capacity is expected to grow by 44 per cent to surpass 1,609 terawatt hours by 2013. Council members are consolidating their energy capabilities, with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait completing the first phase of a joint power grid for the region in July this year, according to the organiser of a major regional power conference and exhibition.

“Although GCC’s current installed power capacity is at around 75,000 MW, the annual 9.5 per cent growth in demand will require more than 55,000 MW of additional power through 2015,” says a spokesman for Riyadh Exhibitions Company (REC).
Saudi Arabia, in particular, has emerged as the fastest-growing consumer of energy in the GCC and rest of the Middle East, with demand for electric utilities expected to increase at an average of 5 to 7 per cent annually, he says. “The country is also expected to invest around SR450 billion ($120 billion) to achieve at least 35 GW of additional power generating capacity by 2023 to 2025, which is more than double the 2005 estimate of installed capacity of 30.5 GW.”
According to Fadi Kayrouz of REC, the GCC countries are expected to fund as much as SR187.5 billion ($49. billion) in power projects between now and 2015.
REC is co-hosting the GCC Power 2009 Conference and Exhibition with IFP Qatar this month (October 19 to 21) at the Riyadh Marriott Hotel in Saudi Arabia. The event is expected to gather regional and global experts, authorities and investors to discuss the latest trends, challenges and strategies affecting the region’s power supply amidst rapid economic and population growth.