MANAMA – Work has begun on the primary substation serving the landmark Dilmunia at Bahrain Health Island, with the awarding of a supply and installation contract to global energy solutions provider Fuji Electric. The 66kV substation is a developmental milestone, as it will deliver electricity to roughly 40 percent of the ambitious 125-hectare, $1.6 billion man-made island.

The civil works contract has been awarded to Bahrain-based contractor Cebarco, which has recently started work on the site that will accommodate the substation. Japanese-based Fuji Electric will build the substation itself abroad and then deliver it to Bahrain in stages. The energizing of the primary substation will take place in Q1 2015, in time for the completion of the Seavilla development, into which Dilmunia’s first residents will move in during the third quarter.

Bahrain-based Ansari Engineering Services is responsible for the design works on the substation civil structure, while Montreal-based engineering and construction group SNC Lavalin provided electro-mechanical consultancy services and associated works. The total value of contracts related to the primary substation is almost US$12.6 million.

Dilmunia is a project of master developer Ithmaar Development Company (IDC), which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bahrain-based Ithmaar Bank, an Islamic retail bank traded on both the Bahrain Bourse and the Kuwait Stock Exchange (stock symbol: ITHMR). Ithmaar is also the Investment Manager of the Dilmunia Fund, a real estate private equity fund dedicated to the development of Dilmunia.

IDC chief executive and member of the board, Mohammed Khalil Alsayed said the project is moving ahead even more swiftly than he had anticipated.

The Dilmunia at Bahrain development is a mixed-use project built on a man-made island off the coast of Muharraq. With a unique health and wellness anchor, Dilmunia will include residences, hotels, leisure and shopping districts, and provides residents and visitors with wellness facilities and spas in a state-of-the-art resort-type environment.

It is located in close proximity to the Bahrain International Airport, with easy access to Saudi Arabia via the King Fahad Causeway. The name Dilmunia is inspired by Bahrain’s ancient civilization of Dilmun, which is believed to have been the inspiration for the mythical Garden of Eden. Dilmunia seeks to create a modern Garden of Eden, balancing the need for growth with the need for a healthy, sustainable ecology and leisure spaces.