Bahrain’s power plants are ready to cope with the summer demand, said Electricity and Water Affairs Minister Wael Al Mubarak.
This was highlighted during a visit to the Muharraq Centre for Electricity Emergency where the minister was reassured about operational efficiency and work progress.
The minister was also briefed about arrangements in place ahead of the summer season which coincides with the holy month of Ramadan.
Mr Al Mubarak was accompanied by Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) chief executive Shaikh Nawaf bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa.
In a statement issued, Mr Al Mubarak highlighted that despite Bahrain’s urban development and increasing consumption, the number and duration of power cuts have dropped significantly compared with previous years.
He also highlighted the expansion of power networks in Bahrain – reiterating the government’s keenness to provide high-quality service to all sectors in the kingdom, with minimal outages.
It was earlier reported that the government plans to install 424,000 new electricity meters before 2022.
Mr Al Mubarak had told MPs that 126,554 electronic meters and 146,000 smart meters have been installed. He also said that from August last year until the second week of January this year, the EWA had received 5,874 complaints about bills – all of which were resolved.
Meanwhile, Shaikh Nawaf said the Muharraq Centre for Electricity Emergency was built in 2011 to serve the Muharraq Governorate, covering 74 blocks with 1,650 electrical sub-stations.
“The centre responds to subscribers’ calls in less than 20 minutes from the time the call centre receives a complaint and electricity is restored in record time,” he said.
The number of power cuts has witnessed a remarkable drop in all governorates, he said, adding in case of a power failure, electricity is restored in no more than one hour despite the increasing number of subscribers.
Efforts are also underway to restore power in less than an hour, which is considered as one of the international best practices in the electricity sector, he added.
