GULF TIMES

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MONDAY

Vol. XXXI No. 7876

April 26, 2010 Jumada - I 12, 1431 AH www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals

GULF TIMES

In brief

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published in

Q ATA R

sinc e 1978

Thai prime minister vows to retake Bangkok protest site

EAST ASIA | Page 20

Chennai

Super Kings overcome

Mumbai Indians to claim IPL title

CRICKET | Page 44

Supplement

Today’s issue of Gulf Times includes a four-page broadsheet supplement on Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing launch.

By Sarmad Qazi Staff reporter

Q

atar Foundation’s commercial subsidiary, Dohaland yesterday awarded a construction contract worth QR1.56bn to a consortium of Hyundai Engineering & Construc- tion Company and HBK Contract- ing Company, marking a signiﬁ cant milestone in the ambitious 35-hectare Musheireb project

This clears the way for construction of buildings to begin at Phase 1A of Musheireb in the heartland of Doha.

“The agreement concludes the awarding of a total of QR2.2bn of the major construction packages for Phase 1A, the ﬁ rst of the ﬁ ve phases in the Musheireb project,” a Dohaland offi cial said.

In 2009, Dohaland awarded ena- bling works to Bauer International Qatar and infrastructure works, including a district cooling plant

and a 66kV substation, to CAT International.

“We have a commitment to deliver to our stakeholders on time, on budget and with the highest quality, as part of our values as a credible developer. This will be delivered through our values of heritage and culture, innovation, enrichment, environment and sustainability,” Dohaland chief executive offi cer Issa al-Mohannadi said.

Present on the occasion of the contract-signing was a delegation from Korea, including Hyundai Engineering

& Construction president and CEO Joong Kyum Kim, Korean ambassa- dor Chang See-jeong, HBK chairman and managing director Sheikh Ali bin Hamad al-Thani and representatives from Bauer and CAT. Dohaland executive committee members and the vice chairperson and director of the Offi ce of HH Sheikha Mozah Nasser al-Mi- snad, Dr Abdullah al-Kubaisi, were also present.

Major consultancy service’s agree-

ments have also been executed by Dohaland with a number of international ﬁ rms. They include: Time Qa- tar for project management; Arup as master development consultant and infrastructure consultant; Al-

lies and Morrison as design architect for Phase 1A; and Burns Mc- Donnell as executive architect for Phase 1A.

Phase 1A of Musheireb covers the construction of the Diwan Emiri Quar-

ter, which includes the Diwan Annex, Emiri Guard and the National Archive, plus a Heritage Quarter that includes the Eid Prayer Ground and four heritage houses.

Joong Kyum Kim said: “We are hon-

oured that Hyundai has been chosen to join the Dohaland team of esteemed partners. Working together on Mush- eireb reinforces our position as a lead- ing contributor to the future of Qatar and its regeneration.”

The QR20bn Musheireb project will be completed in fi ve phases, with the fi rst phase due to be fi nished by 2012 and the last by 2016. The mixed-use development contains hotels, retail, residential, mosques, cultural, heritage, school and government buildings ranging in height from three to 30 sto- ries.

In January, HH the Emir and HH Sheikha Mozah inaugurated the groundbreaking ceremony of Doha- land’s signature project, at the Knowl- edge Enrichment Centre, moored off the Corniche and now open to public three days a week. After the contract signing ceremony yesterday, Dohaland offi cials took the guests on a guided tour of the Centre, located near the Sheraton Park.

Dohaland awards QR1.56bn construction contract to Hyundai and HBK

Off icials of Dohaland, Hyundai and HBK joining hands after the contract-signing ceremony.

QATAR | Economy

Consumer prices up slightly in March

Consumer prices in Qatar fell 3.0% on an annual basis in March, but grew 0.1% from the previ- ous month mainly due to a rise in transport costs, data from the state’s statistics authority showed yesterday. Analysts expected prices in Qatar to pick up speed again this year helped by a rise in food costs. Qatar’s economy is seen largely outperforming fellow Gulf oil energy producers with expected growth of 16.1% this year due to continued expansion of gas output and government infrastructure spending.

SPORT | Allegations

Indian cricket board suspends IPL chief

The Indian cricket board has suspended Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, following several allegations of financial misconduct over the past fortnight. The suspension notice was served on him at the conclusion of yesterday’s IPL final in Mumbai. Modi has been given 48 hours to answer the charges that will be levelled at him. The IPL governing council is due to meet today.

LITERATURE | People

British novelist Sillitoe dies at 82

Alan Sillitoe, one of the “Angry Young Men” of British fiction whose gritty realism vividly portrayed working-class life after World War Two, died yesterday aged 82.

Nottingham-born Sillitoe dealt with factories, backstreet housing and everyday conflicts in works includ- ing Saturday Night and Sunday Morning and The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner, both of which were made into major films.

Page 16

Chevron and GreenGulf will each invest up to $10mn in the study programme

By Bonnie James Deputy News Editor

A

project to identify the best-suited solar technologies for Qatar has been announced by Chevron and GreenGulf, both tenants at Qatar Science & Technology Park which has a strategy to support the development of a national solar energy industry.

Chevron Qatar Energy Technology QSTP-Branch, an affi liate of Chevron Corporation, and GreenGulf, a Qatar- based renewable energy and clean technology company, have signed a memorandum of understanding.

They will pursue a joint study to test solar energy technologies and their application in Qatar.

The research is to be performed in the QSTP campus where work on a 35,000sqm solar test site is to start within a couple of months.

The project will collect and evaluate the data and the performance of dif- ferent photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies.

Chevron and GreenGulf will each invest up to $10mn in the study programme, with Chevron’s investment part of an initial $20mn commitment to QSTP.

Technology tests are expected to begin late this year and continue for two to four years.

Solar technologies vary in their sen- sitivity to dust and heat and use diff erent amounts of land and water, which can reﬂ ect their relative costs.

Measurements obtained under the local climate conditions are expected

to help planners evaluate, select and install technologies best suited to local conditions.

“This project is an intersection of energy and environment, two of our main thrusts in research,” said QSTP executive chairman Dr Tidu Maini, who is also science and technology ad- viser to HH Sheikha Mozah Nasser al- Misnad.

GreenGulf CEO Omran al-Kuwari views solar as potentially an important part of the region’s future energy mix.

“Together with energy effi ciency, we need to identify appropriate technologies and applications and demonstrate that they are sustainable solutions,” he explained.

“GreenGulf’s joint study with Chev- ron provides a strong foundation on which to build that knowledge and ensure that we are updated on this rapidly moving industry,” al-Kuwari asserted.

Chevron Qatar Energy Technology vice president Carl Atallah pointed out that Chevron’s technical expertise, GreenGulf’s entrepreneurial vision and Qatar Foundation’s science community at QSTP would bring together excellent resources for studying solar energy.

Chevron, which had announced in February 2009 that it would establish its Center for Sustainable Energy Ef- ﬁ ciency (CSEE) at QSTP, is now in the process of building the facility.

Through the CSEE Chevron sup- ports Qatar’s goal for energy sustainability through research, demonstration and training of solar power and energy effi ciency technologies.

The Chevron CSEE, scheduled to open in the middle of this year, will identify solar power, solar air-condi- tioning and building-effi ciency technologies that work best in Middle East- ern conditions. Page 28

QSTP deal for solar

power tests

Chevron Qatar Energy Technology vice president Carl Atallah, QSTP executive chairman Dr Tidu Maini and GreenGulf CEO Omran al-Kuwari after announcing the project yesterday. PICTURE: Shemeer Rasheed.

By Santhosh V Perumal Business Reporter

T

he future of Qatari economy hinges on the private sector’s pace and the government has earmarked QR2bn for the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) which seek to foray regional and global markets, according to Prime Minister and Foreign Minister HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani.

“The future of Qatari economy hinges upon the growth of the private sector, not only as far as produc- tivity and provision of services are concerned, but also when it comes to expanding the labour market and creating real opportunities for entrepreneurship, innovation and ex- cellence,” Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim said launching the Enterprise Qatar (EQ), a QR2bn initiative for developing SMEs.

EQ will have a strategic focus in line with Qatar’s National Vision 2030 to build a diverse economy and seeks to provide support services including business mentoring, executive training and market intelligence.

The launch of EQ was attended by several dignitaries, including Fi- nance Minister HE Yousef Hussein Kamal; Ibrahim Ibrahim, Economic Advisor at the Emiri Diwan and sec- retary general of General Secretariat

for Development Planning; Minister of State for Energy and Industry Af- fairs HE Dr Mohamed Saleh al-Sa- dah; United Development Company chairman Hussain Alfardan and several diplomats.

Asserting that creating such an environment alone was not enough, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim said: “We also have to provide an adequate pool of well-qualiﬁ ed human resources, the most important of all our assets.”

Acting Minister of Business and Trade HE Khalid bin Mohamed al- Attiyah, addressing the gathering, said: “From the outset, we sought to make the strategy of Qatari SMEs in line with Qatar National Vi- sion 2030, which aims to develop a competitive and diversiﬁ ed economy. Qatar believes that SMEs will help provide services vital to the

economy of the state in the future.”

One of the greatest challenges being faced today, according to al-At- tiyah, was to create the appropriate environment for the private sector to play its pivotal role, in co-ordination with the public sector, in maintaining sustainable development.

“What is meant here is to create a well-deﬁ ned mechanism for the government support to this sector, which will be available through service providers who fully understand the needs of this sector, as well as the requirements of businesswomen and businessmen, and are capable of providing value-added support,” he said.

Stressing that the goal behind es- tablishing EQ is to create a favourable environment for the sustainable growth and prosperity of SMEs, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim said: “We would like EQ to promote the support which the public sector provides to start-ups and businesspeople. Also we would like to develop a culture of initiative and entrepreneurship, in co-ordination with the public sector.”

The Prime Minister said he was conﬁ dent that the public-private partnership would be the growth engine of Qatar’s future economy, taking business to new heights and creating new industries, markets and opportunities.

PM launches QR2bn initiative to develop small businesses

Prime Minister and Foreign Minister HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani and other dignitaries at the launch of the Enterprise Qatar yesterday.

“The future of Qatari economy hinges upon the growth of the private sector”

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Energy major ConocoPhillips has set up a pavilion at the QP Environment Fair at the Doha Exhibition Centre. On the opening day, Minister of State for Energy HE Dr Mohamed Saleh al-Sada and Minister of Environment HE Abdullah bin Mubarak bin Aaboud al-Midhadi visited the pavilion. The company’s president (Qatar), George R Finding, and managing director of Global Water Sustainability Center (GWSC) Dr Samer Adham received the guests and briefed them of the activities being carried out by his company. The picture shows an off icial briefing visitors on the company’s activities in Qatar.

ConocoPhillips pavilion at fair

Gulf Times

Monday, April 26, 2010

QATAR

28 Solar test site work set to begin in June

By Bonnie James Deputy News Editor

T

he proposed solar test site at the Qatar Science &

Technology Park will have a baseline production of 500kW of electricity.

“This energy is to be used to cool and light up some buildings in the QSTP,” executive chair- man Dr Tidu Maini told Gulf Times.

The 35,000sq m solar test site is a joint initiative between Chevron Qatar Energy Technol- ogy, and GreenGulf, both tenants of the QSTP.

“Construction is to begin in early June and phase I is expected to be ready by the end of the year,” GreenGulf CEO Omran al- Kuwari explained.

GreenGulf and QSTP teams have worked hard to develop this project since it was announced under the patronage of HH Sheikha Mozah Nasser al-

Misnad on March 18, 2009, he recalled.

“We have visited and studied the most up-to-date and so- phisticated solar test facilities in the US, Europe and Asia,” al- Kuwari said.

The teams also met and dis- cussed their plans with more than 50 companies in the industry and sought advice from some of the most prominent technical and commercial experts from around the globe.

“Our objective is to develop a facility which incorporates the best practices from the various institutions to ensure that maxi- mum value can be created locally and regionally,” he stated.

Though Qatar is well placed to cover its own power needs for years to come, on account of abundant resources and excellent planning, this test facility will assist in providing key information that will enable the country to take advantage of ad- vanced solar technology that can

positively contribute to effi cient energy management.

“High humidity, high heat and excessive dust are among the main challenges for tapping solar energy,” Dr Maini asserted.

In addition, solar (panels) has historically required large amounts of space and in some cases water (to clean the panels of dust), al-Kuwari said.

“Recent advancements in technology have improved ef- ﬁ ciency and reduced cost which make solar energy a more attrac- tive form of power generation, with the highest potential of any other form of renewable energy,”

he maintained.

The QSTP test facility will provide companies from around the world to test equipment that they believe will suit this rapidly expanding market all while mak- ing Qatar the focus of knowledge sharing.

The solar test site will host nearly a dozen technologies that can be used for a variety of ap-

plications such as power generation and solar desalination.

“We plan to work very closely with all major institutions and local universities to share our knowledge and assist the development of the industry to promote energy effi ciency,” the GreenGulf CEO announced.

Dr Maini recalled that HE the Deputy Premier and Energy and Industry Minister Abdul- lah bin Hamad al-Attiyah had urged him “not to rush in” when he met him couple of years to discuss the solar energy programme.

“What he meant was that we have to understand the various parameters, and have a system- atic study of various technologies, given that it is a very rapidly changing science,” the QSTP executive chairman said.

The solar test site could have similarities to Chevron Corpo- ration’s Project Brightﬁ eld, a demonstration of next-generation solar energy technologies

A file picture of Chevron’s Project Brightfield in California.

Qafco environmental custodian of an island

Q

atar Fertilizer Company (Qafco) has released the report of the baseline ec- ological survey that it carried out last year at Al-Besheriya Islands.

According to a statement released by the company on the occasion of QP Environment Fair, in which it is participat- ing, the survey was carried out in March last year as part of Qafco’s initiative to develop an environmental management programme for the island.

Qafco, it said, has been the environmental custodian of the

small uninhabited island off the coast of Mesaieed since 2006.

The survey found that the island is a favourable place for migra- tory and nesting birds.

The study mainly focused on studying bird migration and nesting season, ﬁ sh biology, and the island’s general maintenance.

The report will be of interest to environmentalists, ecologists and educational institutions.

Furthering its commitment towards the responsible environmental, Qafco has also initi- ated a waste exchange donation

system (Weds) to serve as a medium for exchanging or donating unused/obsolete non-hazardous materials between organisations based in Qatar. This online Weds is a free and conﬁ dential system based on providing a medium for sharing information on non- hazardous industrial wastes that need to be donated or exchanged.

The Weds is aimed to be a database of the unwanted non- hazardous wastes/obsolete materials of each member company.

Membership in Weds is open for organisations only.

Minister of State for Energy HE Dr Mohamed Saleh al-Sada at the Qafco pavilion at the Qatar Environment Fair’s opening ceremony on Saturday.

launched last month in Bakers- ﬁ eld, California.

“Seven technologies are being tested in this project,” Chevron Qatar Energy Technology vice president Carl Atallah said.

On test are six emerging thin- ﬁ lm technologies and one emerging crystalline-silicon photovoltaic technology provided by independent solar companies.

The 7,700 solar panels on the

8-acre site will generate about 740kW of electricity, which is to be fed into the local utility grid as well as to Chevron’s oil production operations at the Kern River Field.

Qatargas showcases its green initiatives

Q

atargas is showcas- ing its green initiatives at the QP Environ- ment Fair 2010. The company is highlighting energy use and the importance of responsible energy management and conservation at its pavilion at the fair, which will conclude at the Doha Exhibition Centre this evening.

Commenting on Qatargas’

participation, its environment manager James Baldwin said: “Qatargas is committed to demonstrating the highest standards of social and environmental practice at all of its facilities.”

“To support the concept we have a number of energy generation and measurement activities at our stand designed to demonstrate the eff ort required to pro- duce energy and the importance of using it responsibly and con- serving it. We are also concerned about energy and water use in

our processes and buildings. We at this fair highlight our developing programmes to reduce

their consumption and prevent waste of these valuable resources,” he said.

Qatargas is developing a cor- porate citizenship framework as it believes in the responsible management of its operations. As a key element of this, the company is developing a Greenhouse Gas Management Strategy. It has also established recycling and waste management practices and is currently developing electronic waste procedures to manage e-waste eff ectively.

Baldwin said: “Qatargas is also interested in biodiversity and is involved in a number of marine conservation projects, including coral restoration and protection. We are actively involved in bio-diversity educa- tion, awareness programmes and support all aspects of en- vironmentally responsible be- haviour.”

Qatargas’ key message at the fair is “environmental protection is everyone’s responsibil- ity”

A hybrid car model on display at the ExxonMobil pavilion at QP Environment Fair 2010.

PICTURE: Jayan Orma

ExxonMobil drive for an energy-effi cient future

By Ramesh Mathew Staff Reporter

G

lobal energy major Exx- onMobil is working on ambitious plans to in- crease energy effi ciency and cut emissions in a big way, notably from cars.

Speaking to Gulf Times yes- terday, on the sidelines of the Qatar Petroleum’s Environment Fair 2010, ExxonMobil Qatar public aff airs manager Nikolaas Baeckelmans said: “Our existing technologies such as Mobil 1 Ad- vanced Fuel Economy Motor Oil could improve fuel economy by about 2%.

“If one-third of the US mo- torists reduce their gasoline consumption by 2% through using diff erent energy effi ciency initiatives, it would prevent the emission of about 8mn met- ric tonnes of CO2 per year. This would be the equivalent to taking about 1.5mn cars off the road.

Experiments have proved that

close to 4.5bn litres of fuel could be saved a year in Europe alone in one year.”

Other ExxonMobil initiatives include technologies to improve automobile effi ciency, such as liners that keep tyres inﬂ ated longer and lightweight automobile plastics. As a result of such successful experiments to improve energy effi ciency, the overall strength of the vehicles could go up by about 50% and

the use of the company’s poly- propylene in plastic equipment has resulted in reducing the vehicles’ weight.

For every 10% weight reduction, the fuel-effi ciency of a vehicle improves by about 7%.

A 10% weight reduction would help improve the fuel effi ciency by more than 10%, he pointed out. The durability of energy-ef- ﬁ cient vehicles will be more than others consuming more fuel, he explained.

“Unlike what it used to be, people everywhere, in particular in energy-rich countries such as Qatar, are becoming more aware than before on the necessity of preserving energy for future by their optimal utilisation of resources,” said Baeckelmans.

The ExxonMobil offi cial also made an appeal to support the Qatar government’s initiatives for the preservation and conservation of energy.

Elaborating on the successful application of chemical, lu- bricant and battery technologies

developed and carried on by the company in recent years, Baeckel- mans said each of them had con- tributed to the energy effi ciency at the global level and hence had also succeeded in enhancing the effi ciency of automobile industry in the last few years.

The offi cial said if his company’s ongoing Algae Biofuel Research and Development Pro- gramme, which aims at bio-fuel production from photosynthetic algae, was successful, it would augment the supply of alterna- tive fuel remarkably.

The company is also sponsor- ing next-generation breakthrough research into ways to make alter- natives like solar ernergy and bio- fuels more available and aff ord- able for use on a wider scale.

The ExxonMobil offi cial also feels the next-generation hybrid and battery-powered vehicles will work on the eco-friendly principles and if those concepts need to be successful, there should be a growing awareness about energy effi ciency.

Visitors at Qatargas pavilion at the QP Environment Fair.

Nikolas Baeckelmans