Qatar Fuel (Woqod) has opened its eighth new service station in 2015 in the Al Mas’habiya area near the Abu Samra border.

This is Woqod’s second outlet in the area and its 31st overall, the company has said in a statement.

Under the patronage of Woqod chairman Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan al-Thani, the service station was inaugurated by the company’s CEO, Ibrahim Jaham al-Kuwari.

Built at a cost of QR17mn, the service station is spread over an area of 12,000sqm and has six lanes and six dispensers.

The station will offer round-the-clock services to residents of the Abu Samra community and travellers arriving in Qatar through the Abu Samra border post.

These include a Sidra convenience store and a multi-function bay, which will provide auto repair, tyre services and manual wash in addition to selling gasoline and diesel products.

The opening is part of Woqod’s ongoing expansion plans aimed at serving every neighbourhood in Qatar, in line with its commitment to meet the fuel and energy needs of the country, the statement explains.

This is the 31st new opening completed by Woqod and the eighth this year.

Service stations at New Al Rayyan, Bin Derham, Al Lagthafiya, Al Wakrah, Wajbah, Al Thakhira and Lijimiliya were opened earlier this year.

Woqod also plans to have three new centres for vehicle inspection (Fahes) at Shahabiya, Al Wukair and Al Khor by early next year.

“The expansion of our service network in Qatar will bring us closer to our customers and help us achieve our goal of providing them with access to best-in-class products and services at their convenience and comfort. The new opening reaffirms our growth strategy that is designed to meet the rising demand for petroleum and allied products by the public, in line with the sustained urban growth Qatar is witnessing across all regions,” al-Kuwari said.

Woqod’s expansion strategy seeks to increase the total number of service stations operated by the company to 100 by 2020 subject to land availability by the authorities.