The World Bank and Bahrain have signed an agreement for an Energy Efficiency Implementation Program. The Program aims to provide technical support and advisory services to the Government of Bahrain to address the challenge of curbing energy demand in the country over the next three years. An implementation strategy will be developed along with an institutional energy efficiency model that fits Bahrain’s needs and conditions. Awareness raising campaigns will be rolled out to better inform consumers and retailers about energy efficiency labeling for appliances. Building codes will be developed to redirect investments to energy efficient technologies in support of Bahrain’s Vision 2030. Finally, the Program will also support the installation of smart meters. This will optimize energy use by targeted consumers such as public buildings and large commercial and industrial consumers.
Per capita energy consumption in Bahrain is amongst the highest in the world, reaching 11,800 kWh in 2012 with a peak demand of slightly over 2,900 MWh. Annual electricity demand has been growing at around 10% in recent years due in particular to low electricity tariffs that do not incentivize the efficient use of energy. By 2020, energy demand is expected to reach 19,706 GWh with a peak demand of 4,312 MW. The Energy Efficiency Implementation Program seeks to reduce inefficient energy consumption in the buildings sector covering residential, commercial, and public buildings.