Meed | Transforming Bahrain’s electricity and water sector

Transforming Bahrain’s electricity and water sector

19 December 2023

In June 2022, Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed was appointed president of Bahrain’s Electricity & Water Authority after overseeing the delivery of major projects, including the new terminal at Bahrain International airport, as transport minister.

Mohammed is quick to stress how essential EWA is to Bahrain.

“EWA is an important entity in Bahrain. Its infrastructure is an enabler for economic growth as well as for the social development of Bahrain,” he says.

“The customer base of EWA is the whole of Bahrain – the Bahrainis and the people living here. It has the largest customer base in Bahrain, with 468,000 customers. It is also a big employer with about 2,200 people.

“We are one of the biggest asset-based entities in Bahrain. It has BD2.4bn ($6.4bn) of assets, and if it becomes a company, it would be one of the biggest companies in Bahrain,” he says.

Government company

Mohammed’s last point is crucial as Bahrain’s electricity and water industry embarks on a transformation.

“The plan now is to transform the industry as a whole,” he explains.

“I have been given a mandate to make sure we have the right structure for Bahrain’s electricity and water industry. We are now in the process of establishing a regulatory body for electricity and water.

“We have a team working on that, as well as turning EWA from a government authority into a government company. That is the first stage, to corporatise.”

Transforming the industry is a major undertaking. “It requires a lot of things to be done,” says Mohammed. “EWA will need to be licensed by the regulator. For that, we have developed a transformation plan comprising different strategic themes and programmes.

“Hopefully, within the next two years, we will be able to achieve and deliver our objectives.”

When asked if the plan is for EWA to follow in the footsteps of Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (Dewa) and eventually launch an initial public offering (IPO), Mohammed says that will be a decision for the future.

“The first phase is to corporatise and be owned by the government. The government can decide at a later stage if it is the best decision to divest part of it in the local market. That is another phase; we are now focusing on corporatisation.”

Asked if the plan is to follow in Dewa’s footsteps and launch an IPO, Mohammed says that is a decision for the future

Energy transition

Bahrain’s electricity and water industry is being transformed at a time of great change in the industry globally as countries commit to decarbonisation targets. Bahrain has committed to achieving net zero by 2060.

“EWA has an important role to play in this process and this is why we have developed our energy transition plan,” says Mohammed.

“We have set our target to increase clean, renewable energy in our energy mix during the next one or two years. Our targets now are to be 5 per cent renewable by 2025, and 20 per cent by 2035.”

Reducing carbon emissions involves supply and demand measures. To help manage demand, in early December EWA launched the Kafaa programme in cooperation with Energy Service Companies to increase the efficiency of energy consumption in government buildings.

The aim is to save electricity consumption by around 975 gigawatt hours and reduce carbon emissions by about 488,000 tonnes by 2040.

The programme will also work with the private sector. “We already have commitments from big entities and financial institutions. They are ready to take part because although they will spend a few hundred thousand dinars improving their efficiency, they will recover their money in two years. Our pilot study showed that it takes two to three years to recover the initial investment,” says Mohammed.

Although this may dent EWA’s revenues in the short term, Mohammed explains there is a bigger picture.

“In the long term, it is better for EWA because it means it can delay capital investments. And today, 67 per cent of EWA’s costs are production, so if we can delay future production, it means we will save money over time,” he adds.

For supply, Bahrain has introduced a net metering project, which allows people or businesses to generate electricity and, when not used, feed back into the grid.

“We already have 50MW connected to the grid. We have another 150MW in progress, and we think that by the end of 2026, we will have 300MW connected to the network,” says Mohammed.

Future projects

With limited land available for solar plants, floating solar plants are attractive future projects for Bahrain. Other alternative energy sources, including nuclear and small modular reactors, are also being monitored for future use.

As renewable energy projects come online, Bahrain is closing down old power-generating assets.

“The last part of our energy transition plan is to shut down the old cogeneration plants,” says Mohammed. “We closed the Sitra power plant, and we have also closed Riffa 1. During the next two to three years, we will close two plants: one at Hidd and the Riffa 2 power plant.”

With renewable energy unable to provide the baseload Bahrain needs at night, there are plans to build one more gas-fired power plant. “Using less gas, it will be what we hope will be the last gas-fired power plant in Bahrain,” says Mohammed.

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Colin Foreman

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Adnoc Onshore issued the main tender for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) works on 19 June. Contractors submitted technical bids by 5 August, sources told MEED.

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The tender follows Adnoc Onshore’s shift in strategy for the wider North East Bab development – comprising the Al-Nouf, Rumaitha and Shanayel fields – after scrapping an earlier engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCm) approach. MEED reported in December that the operator had cancelled an off-plot EPCm contract awarded to China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Corporation (CPECC) in October 2024. Adnoc later cancelled a separate on-plot EPCm tender that it received bids for in the second quarter of 2025.

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MEED previously reported that Adnoc Onshore awarded CPECC the EPC works for the South East off-plot facilities project, with the contract value estimated at around $1.2bn.

CPECC is also performing EPC works on the South East on-plot facilities project in a consortium with Greece-headquartered Archirodon. Adnoc Onshore awarded an estimated $1.5bn contract for that project to the consortium in December 2024, with EPC works scheduled for completion in 2027.

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Lowest bidder emerges for Kuwait Airport Terminal 2 operations
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Ireland’s DAA International has emerged as the lowest bidder for the contract to operate, manage and maintain the new passenger Terminal 2 (T2) at Kuwait International airport, submitting an offer of KD419m ($1.35bn).

Official price-opening records released by Kuwait’s Central Agency for Public Tenders on behalf of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation show three international airport operators submitted commercial bids for the tender.

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TF-07-C1

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Contractor wins $44m Morocco rail stations deal
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Morocco’s national railway operator, Office National des Chemins de Fer (ONCF), has awarded a MD437.6m ($44.5m) contract to local firm Jet Contractors to build five railway stations along the Benguerir-Marrakech corridor.

The project forms part of the wider Kenitra-Marrakech high-speed rail development programme.

Jet Contractors will build one high-speed rail station and four regional express rail stations.

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Morocco awarded multiple civil works contracts in 2024 to international and local firms to build its Kenitra-Marrakech high-speed railway line.

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Firms submit Dubai multibillion-dollar road scheme interest

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Contractors submitted expressions of interest on 10 October for a design-and-build contract for a multibillion-dollar new road that will run parallel to Sheikh Zayed Road.

Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) held an online meeting after the submissions to prepare for the prequalification phase of tendering, expected to start in a few weeks.

The scope covers about 30 kilometres (km) of works.

These include about 15km of viaduct along First Al-Khail Street and more than 14.5km of bridge ramps, along with other associated infrastructure works.

The RTA floated the expression of interest notice to contractors in early September.

The project is another significant initiative aimed at alleviating pressure on the existing Sheikh Zayed Road section from Hadiqa Street to Hessa Street.

Dubai has previously explored bold concepts to expand capacity on Sheikh Zayed Road, including proposals to introduce double-decker sections to add extra lanes without widening the existing corridor.

The idea was discussed in the context of rising congestion and limited right-of-way along one of the city’s busiest arterial roads, with elevated decks potentially carrying through traffic while existing at-grade lanes served local access.

The plans ultimately became standalone schemes, with subsequent efforts focusing instead on corridor-wide upgrades, interchange improvements and complementary public transport expansions to manage demand more sustainably.

The latest project aligns with Dubai’s continued investment in upgrading and expanding its road network to keep pace with rapid population growth and rising commuting demand.

Planning for growth

Dubai launched the 2040 Urban Master Plan in March 2021, referencing studies indicating that the emirate’s population will reach 5.8 million by 2040, up from 3.3 million in 2020. The daytime population is set to increase from 4.5 million in 2020 to 7.8 million in 2040.

In December 2022, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, approved the 20-Minute City Policy as part of the second phase of the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan.

In addition to the road projects, the RTA’s Dubai Metro Blue Line extension and Dubai Metro Gold Line form part of Dubai’s plans to improve residents’ quality of life by cutting journey times, as outlined in the policy.

The policy aims for residents to have 80% of their daily requirements within a 20-minute journey, on foot or by bicycle. This goal will be achieved by developing integrated service centres with all necessary facilities and increasing population density around mass transit stations.

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