Yemen's first gas power station to begin operation next month

MUKALLA, June 05 (Saba) - The French Total Company, currently
operating an oil field in the district of Sah, Hadramout, has set
June 30 as the final deadline for completing the building of Yemen's
first gas power station.

The station, to be run by the al-Jazeerah Oil Services Company, will
start operations in mid July and supply energy at the areas of the
Hadramout Valley and Desert at an initial capacity of 25 megawatts.

It will work under power purchase agreement between the company
working on the station and the Public Electrical Corporation.

Director of the Total's oil filed in south-eastern Yemen said the
local government will be responsible for automatic control of the
station with the aim to ensure the safety of the workers of the
station.

For his part, the country director of the al-Jazeerah company Amr
Tawfiq Abdul Rahim reviewed his company's efforts to complete all
works at the station on time to connect it with the main network,
already implemented by the Public Electrical Corporation in the
province.

He said the station will sell energy to the corporation on a power
purchase contract.

Inspecting progress on the project, minister of Electricity and
Energy Awadh al-Soqutri and Hadramout governor Salim al-Khanbashi
were briefed on the various phases of implementation of the project
including stretching gas pipelines to connect the station with the
main network.

Al-Suqutri urged commitment to complete the project on time,
underlining the importance of the project which would be the first
in Yemen where power shortages have recently drawn the public's
criticism who accused the authorities of inefficient response to
energy problems.

Some power projects are under construction, with the government
making major efforts to meet soaring demand of power.

Total, France's largest petroleum company and the world's fourth
largest oil and gas company, is the main shareholder in the Yemen
Giant LNG Project with a stake of 42.90 percent.

The $ 4 billion-project will start exporting gas during the second
half of this year.

FR