The Dh200 million (US$54m) Safeer Mall in Ras al Khaimah has finally opened after the developers imported a generator from Japan to power the centre and circumvent continuing delays in supply.
"The construction of the mall was complete a year-and-a-half ago and we were just waiting for the mall to be powered," said Kevin Luicien, the director of operations at Al Safeer Group's mall division. "But since it seemed like it wouldn't happen any time soon, we were forced to open."
Running the generators would add between Dh20m and Dh25m a year to operating costs, the company said.
"We really had no choice. Keeping the mall closed meant that we were losing a lot of money on the maintenance and security of the building," said Mr Luicien. "Under normal circumstances the yearly electricity bill to power the mall would be about a fifth of the Dh25m that we are paying now."
The generator cost Dh5.4m, which was raised through a bank loan, he said. Retailers in the mall are expected to pay between Dh8m and Dh9m of the total power cost.
"The rest of the money is paid by Al Safeer, so you can say we are subsidising electricity for the retailers because we need them to attract visitors," Mr Luicien said. "But in any case, the power bill for retailers is still expensive. For example, if under [normal] conditions they would pay Dh1,000 a month, with this generator they pay about Dh3,000."
No one at the Federal Electricity and Water Authority (FEWA) in RAK was available to comment.
"We paid FEWA a deposit of Dh5.5 million two years ago to power the mall and personally I don't think it will happen any time soon," Mr Luicien said. "But the way things are going right now, I think it will be two to three years until we have power."
Shortages of electricity have left dozens of recently finished buildings in the emirate empty, as entire streets in RAK city are still lacking power.
"Power generation, or the lack of it, is now the biggest bottleneck preventing future economic expansion in RAK," said a recent energy report by Oxford Business Group, the London-based publishing, research and consultancy organisation.
RAK has long relied on Abu Dhabi to make up its shortfall of electricity, but the capital is now facing its own problems. Earlier this year, the Ras al Khaimah Investment Authority (RAKIA) said the emirate would build four power plants in the next three years to overcome intermittent blackouts.
Despite the long delay, the mall's opening last Wednesday attracted 30,000 people and even more visited at the weekend, Mr Luicien said.
The mall features a major Safeer hypermarket as its flagship store, about 100 retail outlets, restaurants, a family entertainment centre and 1,500 parking spaces. The total retail space covers 500,000 square metres.
abakr@thenational.ae
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RESULT
Arsenal 0 Chelsea 3
Chelsea: Willian (40'), Batshuayi (42', 49')
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.