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The System Minutes Lost index has improved by 93% in the electricity transmission network DOHA: Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) has said that a new record has been made in the electricity network reliability as the System Minutes Lost (SML) index recorded the best result in the corporation’s history, as the index is significantly lower than the permissible minute limit. The figures indicate a decrease in outages for customers and a significant improvement in response time. The System Minutes Lost (SML) index has improved by 93 percent in the electricity transmission network, according to the Electricity Network Performance Indexes in 2024 issued by Kahramaa. The System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI) in the electricity distribution network has improved by 11.4 percent in 2024 compared to 2023. The System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) in the electricity distribution network improved by 15.6 percent in 2024, compared to the previous year. Kahramaa’s transmission and distribution system has the highest level of reliability as it has launched various stations with the latest devices and equipment. There is an integrated system to monitor and control equipment to detect the expected malfunctions before they occur which contributes to maintaining equipment and network stability, and taking urgent actions for its maintenance. The system is supervised by a technical team with the highest level of expertise and competence. Besides there are nine emergency offices distributed throughout the country, equipped with technical teams, engineers and the necessary equipment. They work as a first responder to interruptions, complaints raised by customers about low voltages to restore the electric current on time in coordination with the concerned departments of the distribution and control. In May 2024, the length of cables in the transmission network reached 3849km, and the total length of overhead lines (OHL) was 2164km of different voltage levels. As for the distribution network, cable lengths reached 46114.64km and overhead lines 2223.61km, with an increase of 10% compared to May 2020. The electricity sector has witnessed remarkable development over the past years. Production reached 10,586 MW by the end of 2023 from thermal plants plus 800 MWDC of renewable energy (Al-kharsaa Plant for generating electricity from solar panels). As of May 2024, the number of primary substations has reached 393. The increase in the number of main stations has been accompanied by the expansion of the size of the cable and overhead lines network in different voltage levels, 400/220/132/66/11 kV. At the same time, there was a major growth in the number of distribution substations in line with the expansion of high-voltage main transmission substations; the total number of electrical distribution substations, including suspended transformers reached 20,588 substations by the end of December 2023. There is a plan to increase to over 23,400 substations by the end of 2026 to keep pace with the urban development, economic activity, and major events hosted by Qatar. In February this year, Kahramaa and Qatar Electricity and Water Company (QEWC) signed a Power Purchase Agreement from peak electricity generation units in Ras Abu Fontas Plant. The power purchase project, which has previously been awarded to QEWC, represents a strategic step towards enhancing the stability and reliability of the national electricity grid as well as supporting efforts to expand the use of solar energy within the country’s energy mix. The total contractual capacity for the units is 511 megawatts, with a total cost of approximately QR1.6bn. The project is scheduled to start in Ras Abu Fontas in January 2027. |
