Sharjah Electricity & Water Authority (Sewa) has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement with US firm General Electric and Japan’s Sumitomo for the development of a 1.8GW combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant as an independent power producer project. The plant will be built in three units, the first of which is scheduled to begin commercial operation in May 2021. Sewa’s current 2.77GW of capacity in gas and diesel fueled power plants is unable to meet demand, requiring imports from Abu Dhabi that amounted to 6.93THh at levels up to a peak of 1.3GW in 2017. Sewa’s move follows the formation of the Emirates Water & Electricity Authority (Ewec) in Abu Dhabi to work with the similarly underpowered Federal Electricity & Water Authority (Fewa) to unify electricity and water provision across Abu Dhabi and the smaller northern emirates. Ewec plans a tender beginning in the first half of 2019 for 5GW of solar power capacity and 2GW of conventional power capacity (MEES, 18 January).