GCCIA eying energy market in Europe, Africa, India: Ali Ebrahim Al-Ebrahim

GCC Interconnection Authority’s vision is to serve the GCC countries and beyond by leading the development of an efficient power market and providing knowledge excellence in power systems integration. Saudi Arabia’s massive producer of electricity had taken part in the 24^th World Energy Congress took place in Abu Dhabi between September 9 and 12, 2019, which attracted a large throng of global energy thinkers and experts at one podium. Ali Ebrahim Al-Ebrahim, the Manager Strategic Planning, and Quality shared the company’s vision and progress on its energy-efficient system in an exclusive short conversation with Devdiscourse on the sidelines of 24^th World Energy Congress.

GCC Interconnection Authority’s one of the primary objective is power trading. Ali Ebrahim Al-Ebrahim, the Manager Strategic Planning, and Quality said that the company is now working on the development of power market in the GCC region. “We interconnect all the GCC countries from Kuwait to Oman. We have the capacity to provide emergency supply and we are also involved in exchanging power for the benefits of all the member states. The potential of power trading in the GCC region was recognized a few years back (after raising the first workshop in association with Nord Pool in Bahrain in April 2016) and the company envisioned to implementing a single power exchange platform for the GCC region.

GCC Interconnection Authority (GCCIA) conducted the second workshop in association with Nord Pool at South Africa’s Johannesburg, which focussed on the SAPP experience delivered hands-on training on the GCC Market Trading Platform. On this, in short note, Ali Ebrahim Al-Ebrahim said, “Now we have projects to go to Europe, Africa and hopefully next India. Then we can increase trade to the whole world and can exchange power for economic benefits for all states.”

The company is said to have achieved financial savings by the completion of 2017 worth over USD 2.4 billion from the interconnection project that was fully operational since 2011. Based on the study, the expert believed that the electricity interconnection of the GCC is likely to provide USD 30 billion in the next 23 years.

While talking on GCCIA’s expansion plan, Ali Ebrahim Al-Ebrahim said, “We have accomplished studies to expand our connection to get to Asia, Africa, and Europe. We recently had a workshop between GCC countries and African countries to boost the interconnection cooperation between the countries. It has really been a great experience for us to expand in other parts and varied places.”

On the other hand, he was asked to share his experience gathered from the 24^th World Energy Congress. According to him, it was a great experience for him and GCCIA members who attended the World Energy Congress in Abu Dhabi. He and his members got beautiful opportunities to expose their technologies and innovations and also meet other energy and oil giants. They had lined up potential agreements to be signed in the future as the outcome of World Energy Congress. “It was really a good forum for us,” he cited.