Ras Abu Aboud


Ras Abu Aboud is a Qatari district in the municipality of Doha. It is an industrial district containing power and desalination plants. It accommodates one of Qatar's three major power stations which supply electricity to the whole country.

Etymology

In Arabic, ras translates to "head", and is used to refer to a coastal promontory. The second constituent, Aboud, comes from the name of a man who lived in the area.

History

In the 1820s, George Barnes Brucks carried out the first British survey of the Persian Gulf. He recorded the following notes about Ras Abu Aboud, which he referred to as Ras Boo Aboot:
The British Hydrographic Office conducted a survey of the Persian Gulf in 1890 and wrote the following description of Ras Abu Aboud:
The first scouting activities in Qatar began in 1953, initially at Abdullah Bin Thani School. However, the first official scout camp was held in Ras Abu Aboud. This location was selected due to its seclusion and suitability for outdoor training. The early scouts, most of whom were students, participated in training and camping activities at the site, marking the beginning of organized scouting in the country.

Landmarks

Industrial infrastructure

Power station

Inaugurated in 1963, the Ras Abu Aboud power station was built at a cost of QR 1 billion. It had a capacity of 60 MW in 1970, and an expansion in 1972 increased this to 90 MW. After several more expansions, by 1976 its capacity had been increased to 102.5 MW.
By 1984 its capacity was more than doubled to 210 MW.

Desalination plant

In 1983, over QR 50 million was invested in the desalination plant and had a production of 11.5 million gallons per day.

QatarEnergy

QatarEnergy handles its Doha operations out of Ras Abu Aboud. The following facilities of QatarEnergy are based in Ras Abu Aboud:
  • Training Center
  • Environmental Affairs Department on Ras Abu Aboud Street
  • Information Technology Department Ras Abu Aboud Street
  • Technical Records Center, Oil and Gas Ventures Services Department on Ras Abu Aboud Street
  • Doha Distribution Center on Ras Abu Aboud Street
  • Environmental Affairs Department on Ras Abu Aboud Street

Transport

Ras Bu Aboud station, located approximately from Stadium 974, is part of the Doha Metro's Gold Line.

Sports

A temporary football stadium known as Stadium 974 was constructed in Ras Abu Aboud to host matches during the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The stadium carries a modular design and incorporates recycled shipping containers; it is designed to be disassembled following the conclusion of the tournament.