Ras Abu Fontas ( ar, راس بو فنطاس) is a coastal industrial area in

Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor, it is home to m ...

on the boundary with

Al Wakrah Al Wakrah ( ar, الوكرة, al-Wakra) is the capital city of the Al Wakrah Municipality in Qatar. Al Wakrah's eastern edge is the shores of the Persian Gulf and Qatar's capital Doha is situated to the city's immediate north. Governed by Sheikh ...

Municipality in

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

. The government has designated the district as a

free economic zone Free economic zones (FEZ), free economic territories (FETs) or free zones (FZ) are a class of special economic zone (SEZ) designated by the trade and commerce administrations of various countries. The term is used to designate areas in which co ...

starting in 2019.

Geography

In a 2010 survey of Ras Abu Fontas' coastal waters conducted by the Qatar Statistics Authority, it was found that its average depth was and its average pH was 7.84. Furthermore, the waters had a

salinity Salinity () is the saltiness or amount of salt (chemistry), salt dissolved in a body of water, called saline water (see also soil salinity). It is usually measured in g/L or g/kg (grams of salt per liter/kilogram of water; the latter is dimensio ...

of 49.61 psu, an average temperature of 22.51 °C and 26.13 mg/L of dissolved oxygen.

Power stations

Ras Abu Fontas A was inaugurated in April 1977 at a cost of QR 2.1 billion. In 1983, its 14 gas turbines had a capacity of 618 MW. As of 2018, this capacity has been lowered to 497 MW. Ras Abu Fontas B power station was commissioned in the 1990s. Daily capacity is currently 609 MW. After an expansion was announced, Ras Abu Fontas B1 power station was officially opened in July 2001, costing nearly QR 780 million. This added 377 MW to the plant's capacity. Capacity was increased by 567 MW with the addition of Ras Abu Fontas B2.

Desalination plants

In 1981, the Qatari government installed eight desalination units in Ras Abu Fontas A, with each unit possessing a daily capacity of 4 million gallons. This capacity was eventually raised to 55 million gallons per day. The introduction of Ras Abu Fontas A1 saw daily capacity increased by 45 million gallons. Ras Abu Fontas A2 desalination plant was opened in November 2015 after being constructed at a cost of over QR 1.8 billion. It had a daily capacity of 36 million gallons. In September 2016, Ras Abu Fontas A3 desalination plant became operational, having been opened at a cost of QR 1.75 billion. Capacity was 22 million gallons per day, but after being expanded in April 2017, its capacity was raised to 36 billion gallons per day. Ras Abu Fontas B and Ras Abu Fontas B2 raised capacity by 33 million and 30 million gallons per day, respectively.

Transport

The elevated Ras Bu Fontas station currently serves the Red Line of the

Doha Metro The Doha Metro is a rapid transit system in Doha, Qatar's capital city, which became operational on 8 May 2019. It has three lines with an approximate overall length of 76 km and 37 stations. It is an integral component of the larger Qa ...

, which runs from

Mesaieed Mesaieed ( ar, مسيعيد, also transliterated as ''Musay'id'' and ''Umm Sa'id'') is an industrial city in Al Wakrah Municipality in the State of Qatar, approximately south of Doha. It was one of the most important cities in Qatar during the ...

in the south to

Al Khor Al Khor ( ar, الخور; also spelled ''Al Khawr''), officially Al Khor and Al Thakhira, is a municipality in coastal northeastern Qatar. Al Khor City, the municipal seat, is located in the northeast coast of Qatar, around from the capital, ...

in the north. As part of the metro's Phase 1, the station was inaugurated on 8 May 2019, along with all other Red Line stations. It is located on Al Wakrah Road. Among the station's facilities are a

Qatar National Bank Qatar National Bank (QNB Group) ( ar, بنك قطر الوطني) is a Qatari multinational commercial bank headquartered in Doha, Qatar. It was founded in 1964 and currently has subsidiaries and associates in 31 countries spanning three cont ...

ATM, a prayer room and restrooms. There is one metrolink, which is the Doha Metro's feeder bus network, servicing the station: *M126, which serves Barwa Village. Another metro station serving the area is the elevated Free Zone station, found on Al Wakrah Road north of the Ras Bu Fontas station. The station has identical facilities to the Ras Bu Fontas station, and has one metro link: *M140, which serves the Religious Complex in

Mesaimeer Mesaimeer ( ar, مسيمير, Musaymīr) is a district in the municipality of Al Rayyan in Qatar. Located south-west of Doha, it shares borders with the Doha Industrial Area to the east, Umm Al Seneem, Abu Hamour and Al Mamoura to the north-wes ...

. File:Ras Abu Fontas metro station under construction (cropped).jpg, Ras Abu Fontas station under construction in 2017. Doha Metro under construction (1) (cropped).jpg, Economic Zone station under construction in 2017.

References

{{Neighborhoods in Doha Communities in Doha Power stations in Qatar Water in Qatar Populated coastal places in Qatar