Bahrain is eyeing to develop a 72 MW solar power project in Sakhir. It will be the largest of its kind in Bahrain once completed, according to the Ministry of Electricity and Water Affairs.
The move is part of Bahrain’s National Renewable Energy Action Plan. It will help save energy costs in Bahrain as well as reduce carbon emissions.
The Ministry fully owns the solar power project, which is a ground-mounted development that will include car park solar power systems and electric vehicle charging stations.
Sakhir project benefits
Furthermore, the Sakhir Solar Power Project will help Bahrain reach its goal of carbon neutrality by 2060. “This will help achieve sustainable economic development for the citizens of Bahrain,” the ministry said in a statement.
According to the ministry, the solar power project constitutes 28 percent of the kingdom’s goal of generating 250MW of power from renewable energy sources by 2025.
Read: Bahrain’s Khalifa Bin Salman Port goes green with $10 mn solar power project
Attracting new investments
Moreover, the project’s success will help attract new investments in renewable energy sources in Bahrain. The ministry is aiming to collaborate with the private sector, under the public-private-partnership (PPP) schemes.
According to GlobalData, which tracks and profiles over 170,000 power plants worldwide, the project is currently at the announced stage. It will be developed in a single phase. Project construction will commence in 2024 and will enter commercial operation in 2025.
Recently, Bahrain announced it has begun implementing its National Renewable Energy Action Plan. It aims to increase Bahrain’s renewable energy resources’ share to five percent of its total electricity generation by 2025. The bigger goal is to increase this further to 20 percent by 2035.
A US International Trade Administration (USITA) report said, “Bahrain is committed to designing energy efficiency policies and promoting renewable energy technologies that support Bahrain’s long-term climate action and environmental protection ambitions.”
In addition, the USITA report identified Bahrain’s proposed renewable energy pipeline, saying it includes “solar, wind, and waste to energy technologies, with plans to capture the majority of Bahrain’s renewable energy mix from solar power.”
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