Law & Regulation
Law No. 19 of 2024 on the Regulation of District Cooling Services
Qatar's district-cooling statute creates a licensed regulatory regime for producing, distributing, supplying and selling cooling energy through chilled-water systems. It empowers KAHRAMAA to license providers and retailers, supervise service and metering, and establish sector rules.
Legal Significance
What This Instrument Does
It defines district cooling services and regulated market participants, prohibits unlicensed establishment or operation, gives KAHRAMAA regulatory and inspection powers, and establishes duties concerning service areas, customer supply, measurement, performance and enforcement.
Why It Matters
District cooling can be core infrastructure for large developments. Developers, providers, retailers and customers need clarity on licensing, network responsibility, service rights, consumption measurement and continuity. Lenders must test whether the revenue and operating model is permitted and supported by durable licences and customer arrangements.
Key Provisions
- Regulated service definition
Production, distribution, provision or sale of cooling energy through chilled water.
- Provider and retailer roles
Distinct licensed functions within the service chain.
- Licensing requirement
Prohibition on establishing or operating covered systems without regulatory authorization.
- Licence scope and duration
Rights, conditions, renewal and regulatory control of the licensed activity.
- Service areas and network development
Geographic and infrastructure parameters for licensed systems.
- Customer supply and contracting
Statutory overlay on service relationships, without replacing commercial agreements.
- Metering and consumption
Measurement infrastructure and standards supporting billing and oversight.
- Technical and operational compliance
Safety, efficiency, reliability and approved technical requirements.
- Water and sustainability controls
Resource-use and environmental objectives developed in the implementing regulation.
- Information, inspection and supervision
KAHRAMAA access, reporting and compliance-monitoring powers.
- Licence modification, suspension or revocation
Regulatory consequences affecting continued operations.
- Violations and enforcement
Administrative/statutory responses to unlicensed or non-compliant activity.
When You Would Use This
District-cooling project structuring
Structuring a district-cooling project.
Developer/provider procurement
Procuring a developer or provider relationship.
Concession or long-term service arrangements
Structuring a concession or long-term service arrangement.
Licence diligence
Conducting licence diligence.
Network and customer-interface design
Designing network and customer interfaces.
Tariff/service-contract review
Reviewing tariff and service-contract terms.
Metering and billing analysis
Analysing metering and billing architecture.
O&M allocation
Allocating O&M responsibility.
Sustainability review
Reviewing sustainability requirements.
Financing and change-in-law diligence
Conducting financing and change-in-law diligence.
InfraLex Relevance
This is a particularly strong InfraLex record because it connects sector licence, physical network, developer interface, long-term service contract and project finance. Those connections belong in editorial intelligence; they do not convert the Law into PPP, procurement or construction legislation.
Legal Framework Position
- Sector RegulationPrimary / Framework Instrument
Instrument Overview
- Official Citation
- Law No. 19 of 2024
- Instrument Type
- Law / Act
- Source Language
- Arabic
- Enactment Date
- 1 September 2024
- Last Verified
- 4 September 2026