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Distribution
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Two water and electricity distribution companies are licensed by the Bureau to operate in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi:
- Abu Dhabi Distribution Company (ADDC), serving around 226,643 electricity customer accounts and 192,645 water customer accounts in Abu Dhabi and the Western Region. ADDC was granted a licence on 13 December 1998.
- Al Ain Distribution Company (AADC), serving around 100,134 electricity customer accounts and 57,112 water customer accounts in Al Ain city and the surrounding area. AADC was granted a licence on 13 December 1998
Electricity distribution
The electricity network of the distribution companies is based predominantly on UK and IEC standards. Voltages of 33kV, 11kV and 400V/230V are used. ADDC has around 28,000 km of network and AADC has around 17,000 km of network. The peak demand of the two companies in 2007 was approximately 3,800 MW and 1,500 MW respectively. Both companies have significant areas served by overhead lines, although major towns and cities are served by underground networks. The affects of weather (sand storms, humidity, etc) adversely impact on the reliability of the overhead networks which are currently below international benchmarks. However, the reliability of the Abu Dhabi Island network is comparable to other capital cities in developed countries (see the Bureau's annual report for further details). In addition to rapid expansion of distribution networks to cater for load growth, both companies are implementing programmes to install remote control on their 11kV networks. These are expected to deliver significant improvements in performance and reduction of power outage times.
Water distribution
The water distribution system comprises of water pipes and associated plant which are owned and operated by a distribution company and used for the distribution of potable water to customers and commercial users.
The distribution network in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi consists of over 10,600 km of pipelines, from 80 mm to 1000 mm diameter with over 52 small to medium size pump station and reservoirs. The pipe work is predominantly ductile iron but recently high density polyethylene has been used.
The distribution network serves the whole Emirate of Abu Dhabi connecting over 98 percent of the customers with the piped network. The average quantity distributed in 2008 was approximately 594 million gallons per day (MGD) [2.7 million m3 per day (Mm3/day)] with average zonal pressures meeting 1.25 bar (12.5 metres) and above for over 75 percent of the population.
The source water is provided by desalination that originates from seven plants located along the coast of the Emirate and also at Fujairah.
The rapid expansion of the economy in recent years, and the continued rise in demand for potable water established the need for major infrastructure projects to ensure secure and efficient water systems in line with construction programme and the development phases, such as those on a number of islands and the continued expansion on the mainland.
Currently there are two companies licensed to distribute and supply water:
- Abu Dhabi Distribution Company (ADDC): its average daily supply in 2008 was 438 MGD [1.99 Mm3/day], supplied through 138 interface points between its pressurised ring mains system and TRANSCO's transmission mains. ADDC operates 44 pumping stations, many of which are small and serve remote areas of the Emirate that collectively provide a pumping capacity of more than 72 MGD. The water distribution network is supported by the water distribution network consists of over 6,600 km of pipelines, including Islands like Delma and Sir Bani Yas.
- Al Ain Distribution Company (AADC): its water distribution network consists of over 3,900 km of pipelines. The average daily supply to AADC in 2008 was 156 MGD [0.7 Mm3/day] provided by TRANSCO through 58 interface points. Water is distributed by a series of pumping stations, many of which are small and located in remote areas, with a collective pumping capacity of almost 59 MGD.
AADC receives water from three main transmission sources:
- Taweelah through twin 1,200 mm diameter pipelines, with boosting provided at pumping stations at Ajban and Sweihan;
- Abu Dhabi through a 1,000 mm diameter pipeline boosted at the Shobaisi and Remah pumping stations; and
- Fujairah via twin 1,600 mm diameter pipelines.
Currently, due to constraints on both the transmission and distribution networks, up to 45 percent of customers in Al Ain are on a restricted (intermittent) supply and this is expected to remain the case until 2010 when the Fujairah II and Mussafah to Al Ain transmission schemes are implemented. Major improvements to the distribution system are planned, particularly in Al Ain city, along with increased metering on three levels: interface, zonal (district) and customer metering. These will improve supply and demand management across the system.
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