Qatar eyes 10% of energy from renewable sources

Qatar Electricity and Water Company (QEWC) signed an agreement with Qatar Solar Technologies to replace over10 percent of the Gulf state's energy requirements with renewable sources, reported Qatar News Agency. "Countries that have opted and developed solar energy have benefited a lot. Presently we are planning to replace 10 percent of total energy used for electricity generation and water desalination with solar power by 2018," general manager of QEWC Fahad Hamad Al Mohannadi said at a news conference in Doha this week. The growing demand for energy in Qatar is one of the highest in world, he said, adding that with the abundance of sunshine the country receives made it ideal for solar-powered energy. In April, Qatar announced plans to spend around QAR70bn (US$19.2bn) on the expansion of its electricity and water networks between now and 2021. Qatari’s minister for energy and industry, HE Mohammed Saleh al-Sada, estimated at the time that the Gulf state would pour approximately QAR22bn into upgrading its water networks over the next decade and around QAR30bn on electricity.