Utilities

The fast growing economies of the Middle East are putting strains on the supply of both power and water. Many countries are now looking beyond the old, centralist state-owned utility model to find new ways of providing essential services for their people. Deregulation, unbundling, and public-private partnerships are now all the rage in the Gulf and beyond, and CRA is in the thick of things, helping utilities meet these new challenges.

In Saudi Arabia, we have been working with Saudi Electricity for many years on their restructuring efforts. We are also advising the Ministry of Water and Electricity on a public-private partnership solution to the City of Jeddah's water supply. We have helped a number of investors appraise the new opportunities in building IWPPs (independent water and power plants) in a number of different countries. And we are working with regulators in the UAE to help them create a new regime that will be attractive to the investors who are needed to provide new plants.

Our office in Bahrain co-ordinates all CRA activity in the Gulf, but we call on experts from Europe, the US, and Australia to bring the right knowledge and experience to bear on each different problem. By understanding our clients' needs, and deploying the right people to meet those needs, CRA is one of the leading power and water advisers in the Middle East.