Qatar Intermediate Industries Company (Alwaseeta) signed a joint venture agreement with Qatar Korea LED Consortium (QKLC) to set up a LED lighting system manufacturing facility in Qatar, according to a Gulf News report. 

Alwaseeta, a Qatar Petroleum subsidiary  will have a 75 percent stake in the project, while the remainder will be held by QKLC. The 60,000 square meter factory will have a production capacity of 155,000 LED units per year during the initial phase.

The LED plant project will be implemented through two phases, with the first phase construction expected to be completed by 2016. The second phase of the project will involve installation of LED chip packaging, establishment of R&D center, and setting up a demonstration system. The whole project is scheduled to be completed by 2018.

Alwaseeta is mostly involved in the broad range of developments in intermediate and downstream industrial projects.

QKLC is made up of prominent Korean LED companies and governmental institutes, such as the Korea Photonics Technology Institute (KOPTI) and Korea Association for Photonics Industry Development (KAPID). 

The Q-LED project will be involved in continuous R&D in integrated LED management and smart lighting systems that can save up to 70 to 80 percent energy. In addition, the project is expected to become a catalyst for other related industries and anticipated to spur Qatar to become a leader in the LED lighting industry in the Middle East and North Africa regions.