Qatar Fuel (WOQOD) has revealed the main features of its upcoming five-year plan (2014-2018), according to which the company is set to establish 100 new fuel stations by 2018.
WOQOD CEO Ibrahim Jaham Al Kuwari said the plan, which is in its final stages of preparations, is in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030 and the huge modernization and development efforts in Qatar as well as in preparation for the upcoming 2022 World Cup, due to be hosted by Qatar.
The plan will focus on a number of aspects including fuel stations, technical inspection centers (Fahes), Q-JET for jet fuel, WOQOD Marine Services Company, bitumen, butane gas, Sidra convenience stores, and other projects, a press release by WOQOD said Monday.
Due to the large increase in the population of Qatar residents, currently estimated at more than 2.1 million, as well as the increased demand for the various petroleum products and the shutting down of some local stations for different reasons, there has been an urgent need for increasing the number of stations in order to meet the needs of the residential, industrial and trade sectors.
WOQOD currently owns 23 operating fuel stations distributed across the country. In addition, it manages six stations owned by individuals, governmental or semi-governmental institutions. Some of these stations are mobile and located in remote areas or across sea shores serving a limited clientele in these specific regions.
Work is currently in progress at five new stations in Al-Wakra, Al-Wajba, Al-Jumailiya, Lusail, and Al-Thakhira. Some of projects are nearly completed but all of them are expected to operate by the first quarter of 2015.
Specific consideration was given to the geographic distribution of these stations to best serve the largest sectors of residents of these areas and to serve the needs of industrial complexes and construction projects.
Moreover, six new stations are being designed to cover the needs of Hamad International Airport, New Mesaimeer, Educational City, and Smeisma. Two stations will be constructed at the airport and the same at the Educational City. These projects are expected to be completed during 2015, WOQOD revealed.
Extensive efforts are currently in place to complete procedures related to the assignment of eight new stations, with design and construction set to follow as full completion of the project expected by the end of 2016.
Work is in progress for ten expansion projects of existing stations to augment additional facilities including food courts, mosques, stores, car washing sectors, and housing facilities for workers. Some of these projects are finalized, while some are expected to be completed in the second half of this year.
More than 40 stations are set to operate by mid-2015 with the number is expected to rise to 100 in 2017-18 when a new five-years-plan is expected to start covering the period 2019-2022, which will witness preparations for the 2022 World Cup. WOQOD plans to increase the number of new stations during the period 2018-2022 by around 50 in addition to expansion projects that could exceed 25 to add new facilities and services in light of the urban and residential development in these areas.
As for Fahes, In addition to its main center at the industrial zone, works related to construction, equipment and pilot operations at the centers of Wadi Al-Banat and Al-Maamoura have completed and full operation is expected by the first quarter of 2015. Design work is completed for new centers in some areas such as Barwa Al-Baraha, Al-Khor and Al-Shahaniya.
Q-JET, the exclusive and only provider of jet fuel in Qatar and a subsidiary of WOQOD, started operations in the hydraulic supplies of airplanes arriving at Hamad International Airport in May. It finalized logistic preparations and arrangements, and completed the organization of several practical on-ground workshops about supplying jet fuel operations. As part of WOQOD’s upcoming strategy, Q-JET plans to develop modern infrastructure and mechanical equipment that allows for serving all various categories and classes of air vehicles, regardless of its sizes, through ground supply pipes.
On WOQOD Marine Services Company, the press release said WOQOD currently owns five marine vessels with an estimated total operational capacity of 45 thousand metric tons. The vessels are used for the purposes of transporting bitumen and diesel, in addition to other trade purposes. The new five-year plan envisions expanding the operational capacity of WOQOD Marine Services’ fleet by increasing the number of new vessels, expected to reach 8-10 vessels by the end of 2018.
As for bitumen, in light of the economic and urban development of the country especially projects related to the 2022 World Cup and the need for bitumen 60/70 in both enhanced and polymer forms for road projects and other facilities, and because of the increasing local demand, WOQOD has signed an MoU with the Public Works Authority (ASHGHAL) for supplying the latter’s projects with the needed amounts of bitumen.
In turn, and to meet the demands of the ASHGHAL projects, WOQOD will invest about QR70 million to expand the storage facilities at Mesaieed area and increase its operational capacity to exceed 20,000 metric tons of bitumen.
WOQOD also mentioned the current cooperation with Texas A and M University in the fields of research on enhanced bitumen, where the university adopted the specifications of WOQOD for enhanced bitumen because of its compliance with international standards. This cooperation further prompted ASHGHAL to adopt these products in its current and future projects.
As for butane gas, WOQOD is its exclusive provider in Qatar through steel and SHAFAF cylinders as well as fixed tanks for houses, residential compounds, restaurants and hotels. WOQOD adopts the latest international standards for safety and security and is keen on raising awareness among consumers about safety rules and procedures, the press release noted.
The new five-year plan includes a project for expanding and developing the gas refill station in the industrial zone, in addition to focusing on accrediting more companies in the field of installing fixed line tanks. The accreditation process is based on the qualifications of these companies and meeting the latest and highest international standards.
The plan also envisions the increase of points of sales and distribution of SHAFAF gas cylinders, including all WOQOD’s new established stations which will have a new distribution center, as well as a program for the total replacement of all steel cylinders in Qatar with SHAFAF cylinders. The replacement is to take place gradually without stirring any confusion in the local market and is expected to be completed by the end of 2017.
WOQOD also cooperated with Qatar Petroleum to expand the scale of using compressed natural gas (CNG) in transportation, where Muwasalat Transportation Company is currently using CNG in its vehicles. This usage is expected to increase to a wider scale in the coming years.
On Sidra convenience stores, WOQOD said there are currently three centers operating at the Educational City, Katara Cultural Village and WOQOD Tower while five other stores are still in the design phase and are expected to conclude by the end of the current year or early 2015. WOQOD currently plans to increase the number of Sidra convenience stores to 25 by the end of the five-year plan.
In addition to the previous projects, WOQOD is currently working on a large central depots project in the industrial zone, a project expected to finish by the end of 2014. The company is also working on many other projects at Doha depot in the Mesaimeer area as well http://www.businesstoday.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/sample10.jpgistrative offices.
Source : Qatar News Agency
