20 April 2009
Members of a committee of the Federal National Council (FNC) have said they will work to extend electricity supply to new buildings in Al Dhaid, Sharjah and other northern emirates before the end of the current FNC session on June 30.
Touring Al Dhaid with Al Dhaid council member Khalifa bin Huwaiden, the six FNC members listened to complaints by UAE national owners of eight buildings that have not been supplied with power for some three years although electricity transformers have been supplied by the Federal Electricity and Water Authority. The owners said failure to extend electricity supply has delayed work on their housing projects and pushed up the value of bank debt and interest.
The committee comprises Yousuf Obaid Al Nuaimi, Dr Obaid Al Muhairi, Dr Abdul Rahim Shahin, Sultan Al Katbi, Abdullah Al Shihhi and Saeed Al Haferi.
One building owner, Obaid Musabbah Al Tunaiji, said the bank has mortgaged his building for failing to pay back about Dh2 million.
Emirates Business has learned non-supply of electricity and water is a problem not only for Al Dhaid but for all northern emirates from Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah along with Fujairah. The problem is not confined to residential projects as it covers industrial and commercial projects as well.
Al Tunaiji said he has sent a compliant to Minister of Energy Mohammed bin Dhaen Al Hamli. He said that he applied for electricity extension for his building in October 2007 and that for lack of power he was not able to rent out the building. Consequently, his total bank debt his increased to more than Dh2.7m.
People who rented units have not received their flats for lack of electricity, he said.
Al Tunaiji said the power supply has not been extended despite the surplus in the electricity available after the municipal council pulled down 1,400 low-cost houses.
Official figures indicate that Al Dhaid, including the Al Madam suburb, is supplied 7,000 kilowatts of power while the actual need is only 2,000 kW.
Bin Huwaiden said the demand for electricity in the UAE has grown from eight per cent a few years ago to 30 per cent because of the vast development projects.
He attributed the failure to meet all electricity needs to the absence of a clear power supply strategy according to each emirate's needs and the size of its investment and housing projects.
Al Nuaimi said the electricity supply problem exists all over the northern emirates. There are 300 applications for power supply for houses in Ras Al Khaimah and 400 in Fujairah. In Umm Al Quwain, 259 small enterprises are waiting for electricity, he added.
Al Nuaimi expected the committee to report to the FNC over the next few days. After that the Council will discuss the issue with the minister of energy. Then recommendations will be sent to the Cabinet.
FNC member Dr Obaid bin Butti said scores of buildings in Fujairah are waiting for power. Also many government departments lack electricity supply. The problem is recurrent in many factories and projects and this has prompted owners to turn them into warehouses, he said, adding that banks ask them to pay the debts of project loans.
Bin Huwaiden said it is surprising to see investment and development projects worth billions built in emirates that lack power supply. He hoped something will be done to resolve this problem.
Members of a committee of the Federal National Council (FNC) have said they will work to extend electricity supply to new buildings in Al Dhaid, Sharjah and other northern emirates before the end of the current FNC session on June 30.
Touring Al Dhaid with Al Dhaid council member Khalifa bin Huwaiden, the six FNC members listened to complaints by UAE national owners of eight buildings that have not been supplied with power for some three years although electricity transformers have been supplied by the Federal Electricity and Water Authority. The owners said failure to extend electricity supply has delayed work on their housing projects and pushed up the value of bank debt and interest.
The committee comprises Yousuf Obaid Al Nuaimi, Dr Obaid Al Muhairi, Dr Abdul Rahim Shahin, Sultan Al Katbi, Abdullah Al Shihhi and Saeed Al Haferi.
One building owner, Obaid Musabbah Al Tunaiji, said the bank has mortgaged his building for failing to pay back about Dh2 million.
Emirates Business has learned non-supply of electricity and water is a problem not only for Al Dhaid but for all northern emirates from Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah along with Fujairah. The problem is not confined to residential projects as it covers industrial and commercial projects as well.
Al Tunaiji said he has sent a compliant to Minister of Energy Mohammed bin Dhaen Al Hamli. He said that he applied for electricity extension for his building in October 2007 and that for lack of power he was not able to rent out the building. Consequently, his total bank debt his increased to more than Dh2.7m.
People who rented units have not received their flats for lack of electricity, he said.
Al Tunaiji said the power supply has not been extended despite the surplus in the electricity available after the municipal council pulled down 1,400 low-cost houses.
Official figures indicate that Al Dhaid, including the Al Madam suburb, is supplied 7,000 kilowatts of power while the actual need is only 2,000 kW.
Bin Huwaiden said the demand for electricity in the UAE has grown from eight per cent a few years ago to 30 per cent because of the vast development projects.
He attributed the failure to meet all electricity needs to the absence of a clear power supply strategy according to each emirate's needs and the size of its investment and housing projects.
Al Nuaimi said the electricity supply problem exists all over the northern emirates. There are 300 applications for power supply for houses in Ras Al Khaimah and 400 in Fujairah. In Umm Al Quwain, 259 small enterprises are waiting for electricity, he added.
Al Nuaimi expected the committee to report to the FNC over the next few days. After that the Council will discuss the issue with the minister of energy. Then recommendations will be sent to the Cabinet.
FNC member Dr Obaid bin Butti said scores of buildings in Fujairah are waiting for power. Also many government departments lack electricity supply. The problem is recurrent in many factories and projects and this has prompted owners to turn them into warehouses, he said, adding that banks ask them to pay the debts of project loans.
Bin Huwaiden said it is surprising to see investment and development projects worth billions built in emirates that lack power supply. He hoped something will be done to resolve this problem.
By Mohammed Elsidafy
© Emirates Business 24/7 2009
