Abu Dhabi is ramping up its efforts to introduce power installations to meet the emirate’s rising demand for electricity with another batch of deals to regulate the infrastructure.
Over the past two years, Abu Dhabi has seen an annual increase of about 3 per cent in new customers requesting power connectivity. This has caused a rise in electricity demand to the tune of 17 per cent since 2014, according to a new report from Abu Dhabi's regulatory body, Regulation and Supervision Bureau (RSB).
The emirate has been working on increasing its installed capacity, or the maximum amount of power that can be pumped out at once, by 11 per cent last year. This will continue as projects such as the Sweihan solar power plant come online, which will add another 1.17 gigawatts of power to the grid in 2019.
There are many other facets than just building a power plant, such as switchgear - systems that help protect against short-circuits and overload fault currents - and wiring. To expedite installations, as well as ensuring quality, Abu Dhabi Distribution Company (ADDC) is tapping the emirate's Quality and Conformity Council (QCC).
ADDC signed two co-operation agreements with QCC to issue conformity certificates, QCC said on Saturday.
Sultan Al Mehairi, QCC director of information service and engagement, said that the agreements help the council verify that the products given a conformity certificate consistently meet the international quality and safety standards. “The agreements will help us streamline the process of evaluating applications submitted by manufacturers, suppliers and personnel," he said.
QCC will ensure that the electrical wiring works for low-voltage switchgear are systemised. The other agreement will set up guidelines for any person installing the wiring to increase efficiency and ensure grid safety.
“Should we detect any violation or breach, the product will be recalled and the conformity certificate automatically revoked,” Mr Al Mehairi said.
ADDC said that it will make it mandatory for all personnel and companies performing internal electrical wiring installations to obtain a conformity certificate issued by the QCC.
“I am confident that the issuance of conformity services for companies and personnel specialised in the installation of internal wiring devices will help regulate and develop the water and electricity sector in the emirate,” said Saeed Al Suwaidi, ADDC managing director.
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
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
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Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
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Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
