Qatar participates in GCC Electricity & Water Cooperation Committee meeting

(MENAFN - The Peninsula) The State of Qatar participated in the 30th meeting of the GCC Electricity and Water Cooperation Committee yesterday via video conference. Qatar was represented by the President of Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) H E Eng. Essa bin Hilal Al Kuwari in the ministerial meeting, which dealt with the most important axes related to reinforcing cooperation efforts and coordination in the fields of electricity and water. The meeting discussed the latest development related to the follow-up to implementing the unified water strategy in the GCC countries, stressing the necessity of enhancing water security and adopting a unified approach for water. The member states also deliberated on the recommendations nominated for the Preparatory Meeting of the GCC Undersecretaries of the Ministries of Electricity and Water, which preceded this meeting one day. In a related context, the Secretariat General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) proposed establishing a water linkage authority similar to the Electricity Interconnection Authority, which would assume the responsibilities of localizing the desalination industry and the bilateral Gulf water link. Eng. Al Kuwari affirmed Qatar’s support for the bilateral water link project as a major step towards achieving a comprehensive Gulf interconnection project that guarantees water security for all GCC countries, due to the importance of this step in securing water supplies and facing the emerging conditions in the region, and finding appropriate alternatives, especially during emergencies and disasters, noting that the State of Qatar considers this project a strategic goal. They also agreed to continue studying the establishment of the independent regional regulatory authority for electrical interconnection, formulating a specific framework for the authority, and approving an estimated budget for the study. Member states discussed the reports of the Secretariat General on the progress of work in the relevant technical committees and many administrative issues related to the restructuring of the committees of the Gulf Electricity and Water Cooperation Committee. Eng Al Kuwari also indicated that Qatar is committed to joint work to achieve water security for the GCC States, stressing the need to continue coordination at the highest levels to respond to the increasing demand for energy in the GCC states. He similarly noted the importance of placing sustainability at the top of the committee’s work priorities, highlighting at the same time the great strides made by Qatar in this field in the context of Qatar National Vision 2030. The meeting concluded by agreeing on the date and place of the 31st meeting of the committee. The Electricity and Water Cooperation Committee is considered one of the GCC sub-committees. The committee has made many achievements in the framework of the electrical interconnection and efforts to rationalize electricity and water in the GCC countries and achieve the goals of water security and others.MENAFN25062021000063011010ID1102342980