Kahramaa electricity and water connection for a new building in Qatar
How a new building in Qatar gets its permanent electricity and water supply, from Kahramaa's design review to the meters, with the usual documents and delays.
Kahramaa, the Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation, supplies electricity and water across Qatar. A new building gets its permanent supply in two main stages. Kahramaa approves the electricity and water design within the building permit. When the building is finished, Kahramaa inspects the installation, connects it and fits the meters.
Construction comes in between and can run on a temporary site supply. Kahramaa asks for the municipality's completion certificate with the connection application, so the permanent supply follows it. Most delays, however, start with decisions made at design stage.
What Kahramaa controls
On a new building, Kahramaa controls five things.
- The rules: its regulations for electrical installations, water installations, and energy and water conservation.
- The design approval within the building permit.
- Who installs: contractors need a Kahramaa licence, and Kahramaa certifies electrical and water materials.
- Temporary supplies for building sites.
- The inspection, the connection, the meters and the customer account.
Kahramaa's part in the building permit
The Ministry of Municipality, which many people call Baladiya, issues the building permit through its electronic system. The consultant submits the electricity and water design with the application, and Kahramaa reviews it. Kahramaa's regulations require the electrical design to be approved before construction starts. Its document list includes the owner's Qatar ID and an undertaking from the owner and the consultant. Keep the approved drawings safe, because Kahramaa asks for them again at connection.
What Kahramaa checks in the design
The review starts with the connected load, the total of all equipment. The consultant gives it for the building and for each distribution board, the panel feeding a group of circuits. Air conditioning is calculated separately, because cooling is the largest load in most Qatar buildings.
New air-conditioned buildings must also meet Kahramaa's energy and water conservation code. The consultant submits insulation calculations for walls, roof and windows, and a cooling load summary. The code says a building failing the minimum insulation requirements will not be considered for an electricity supply.
The water design shows the demand, the connection size and the storage tanks. The water meter cabinet goes on the boundary wall, at the point nearest Kahramaa's water network. Larger main switchboards need a separate compartment for Kahramaa's meters.
How Kahramaa supplies the building depends on its maximum demand, meaning the realistic peak, and on the local network. A larger building can need a substation room on the plot, with ground floor space and road access. Kahramaa's bulk customers, with an actual or forecast demand above 5 megawatts or 25 cubic metres of water an hour, follow a separate route. Kahramaa asks them to apply very early, long before the first supply is needed.
Power and water during construction
A site needs power and water long before the permanent connection. Hukoomi, the government services portal, lists Kahramaa online services for both. Consultants request temporary electricity, and consultants or contractors request temporary water. The water request needs the building permit approval and a site plan. A temporary electrical installation needs Kahramaa's approval and must meet its safety rules. A named competent person must be in charge of it.
From completion to a permanent supply
Kahramaa's published list for a connection covers the forms, the owner's Qatar ID, the approved drawings, Kahramaa's design approval and the completion certificate. For water, its code adds a photo of the installed meter cabinet, the ownership document and a site plan locating the meter. Where the building connects to the public sewer, a confirmation from Ashghal, the Public Works Authority, is commonly requested as well.
- The licensed contractor finishes the work to the approved drawings and tests it.
- Kahramaa inspects and tests the installations at the completion stage. Faults must be put right.
- The municipality compares the building with its approved drawings and issues the completion certificate.
- The connection application goes to Kahramaa and the connection fees are paid.
- Kahramaa fits the meters and energises, or switches on, the supply.
- The owner or tenant opens the customer account. A tenant needs their own and the owner's ID, and a lease authenticated by the municipality.
Who does what: owner, consultant and contractor
Since October 2023, Kahramaa has required customers to use Kahramaa-licensed contractors for new electrical connections and water installations. Individual electricians and plumbers are licensed for maintenance only. The contractor's licence class also sets the size of load it may install.
- Owner: appoints the consultant and a licensed contractor, signs the undertaking, provides ID and ownership documents, pays the fees and opens the account.
- Consultant: calculates the loads, prepares and submits the electricity and water drawings, and answers Kahramaa's comments. We do this work, and can also coordinate the completion stage.
- Contractor: obtains materials approval, installs and tests to the approved drawings, and corrects inspection faults. Kahramaa's water code has the contractor submit the water connection request online.
Common causes of delay
Most delays start well before the connection application.
- Late load changes. An extra floor, larger chillers or a new kitchen after approval means new calculations and a new review.
- No space for a substation or meter room. If the need appears after the layout is fixed, the ground floor, parking and structure all change.
- Incomplete documents, such as a missing completion certificate or an owner name that differs between documents.
- Differences from the approved drawings, which Kahramaa's inspector and the municipality will both find.
- Insulation or cooling equipment that falls short of Kahramaa's conservation code.
When a later fit-out increases the load
A later restaurant, clinic or gym often needs more load than was approved. Kahramaa's wiring regulations require its approval before an installation is extended or altered. In particular, any increase above 10 per cent in the connected load of the premises, or of one distribution board, needs approval.
For water, an upgrade request is based on the daily demand, tank capacity and existing connection size. In a building with several tenants, the landlord's agreement is normally needed first. Adding a meter to an existing building is a separate application through the Ministry of Municipality. Kahramaa lists overloads without approval among the main causes of power cuts.
Common questions
Who applies for the permanent connection, the owner or the contractor?
The connection is in the owner's name, and Kahramaa asks for the owner's Qatar ID or the company's registration. The licensed contractor or the consultant usually prepares and submits the application.
What if the installation differs from the approved drawings?
Kahramaa's inspectors can require it to be altered, repaired or corrected before connection. If the change was intended, the drawings must be revised and approved again. Tell your consultant about changes as they happen, not at the end.
How long does the connection take, and what does it cost?
We do not quote durations or fees, because neither is in our control. Kahramaa's water code links the water connection fee to the size of the connection. Timing depends on the inspection results, the completion certificate, the documents and any substation work.
This article is general information about how approvals usually work in Qatar. Requirements change and depend on the plot and building type. Ask us to confirm what applies to your project.