Gift of power station sends a clear message

The plant consists of five Frame-5 gas turbines of 16 MW each and eight Frame-6 gas turbines of 30 MW each. This added capacity will help Pakistan deal with the frequently acute power shortages that have plagued the country.

As a course of action it demonstrates the scale of the problem in Pakistan, which last year was also selected as a site for the relocation site of a mothballed refinery from Italy. The country’s power needs are urgent and this is a relatively quick solution, at a time when some international power players are taking a ‘wait and see’ approach to investment..

There’s room to read between the lines too. Abu Dhabi is demonstrating regional leadership in acting to help a neighbour, one that supplies a vast quantity of the Gulf’s manpower. ADWEA also gets the chance to show technical leadership by carrying off a tricky project. But there is something about giving away a power station that just says ‘we’ve got energy and expertise to spare’.

Of course Abu Dhabi has been sending this message in other ways too. January’s energy summit was hard to miss and that brand is now on its way to Spain, for a show during the European summer. Masdar’s energy investment has been expansive, international and technology driven.

The message there has been one of investing for the future and local start-ups, such as solar integrator Enviromena Power Systems, are emerging to take advantage of the opportunity. Then there’s the Zayed Future Energy Prize, which has turned the focus to the people behind ingenious and entrepreneurial energy ideas.

The first winner gave power to the people in Bangladesh, another country that exports manpower to the Gulf. The great desire of the organizers is to see a greater number of entries next year, with more local content.

Each one of these events and projects adds to the reputation of the emirate as an energy leader, in the hydrocarbon sector and across the entire industry, by spinning a clear and well-managed message.