Marubeni, Total and Siraj Energy to Develop 800 MW of Solar Projects in Qatar
A special purpose company (SPC) formed by Japan’s Marubeni Corporation, France-based Total Solar International and Siraj Energy of Qatar has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (KAHRAMAA) to develop 800 MW of solar projects. The collaboration has an equity holding of 20.4% by Marubeni Corporation, 19.6% by Total, and 60% by Siraj Energy. With an estimated cost of QR 1.7 billion (~$462.5 million), the large-scale solar power project will be constructed at Al-Kharsaah area west of Doha on a 10 square kilometer land and is expected to be equipped with 2 million bifacial solar modules with trackers. The special purpose company will develop, construct, and operate and maintain the solar PV project.
Masdar and Infinity Energy establish joint venture “Infinity Power” to develop renewable energy projects in Egypt
Masdar and Infinity Energy, have agreed to establish a joint venture company, Infinity Power, to develop utility-scale and distributed solar energy and wind power projects in Egypt and Africa. The agreement was signed at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week by Masdar CEO Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Infinity Energy Managing Director and Co-founder Mohamed Elamin Ismail Mansour, and Infinity Energy CEO Nayer Fouad. Egypt’s 2035 Integrated Sustainable Energy Strategy targets 20 per cent of the electricity mix coming from renewables by 2022 and 42 per cent by 2035. The country has the potential to supply 53 per cent of its electricity mix from renewables by 2030, according to analysis by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
Turkish Solar Reaches 6GW
Turkey reached a cumulative 5,995 MW of installed solar generation capacity last year, according to statistics published by grid operator TEIAS.Of Turkey’s total solar capacity, 5,826 MW is represented by ‘unlicensed’ PV systems – installations with a capacity of no more than 1 MW. Licensed projects, awarded in public tenders, supply 169.7 MW. Solar makes up around 6.5% of Turkey’s power generation capacity, which at the end of the year stood at 91.26 GW. Last year, the volume of newly deployed PV reached 923 MW.
UAE Announces New Development and Funding Agreements Under US$50m Caribbean Renewable Energy Fund
The UAE-Caribbean Renewable Energy Fund (UAE-CREF) has entered the second cycle of its three-year plan to build climate-resilient renewable energy projects in 16 Caribbean nations, successfully completing new development and funding agreements for the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Guyana, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, and Suriname. The announcement was made at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2020, one of the world’s largest sustainability gatherings, taking place this week in the UAE capital. According to this new development and funding agreements a solar photovoltaic (PV) carport and rooftop project will be built in the Dominican Republic; a solar PV and battery hybrid project will be developed for the village of Dondon, Haiti; a solar PV and battery hybrid plant will be constructed on the island of Wakenaam, Guyana; and a solar PV and battery hybrid project is planned for Carriacou in Grenada. In Saint Kitts and Nevis, two solar PV desalination plants will be developed, while Suriname will receive a solar PV and battery hybrid plant and Trinidad and Tobago, a solar PV carport.
Total to Develop Qatar’s First Large-Scale 800 MWp Solar Plant
Total has entered into agreements for the development of the Al Kharsaah Solar PV IPP Project, a 800 megawatt-peak (MWp) solar plant that will be located 80 kilometers west of Doha, Qatar. The project was awarded to a consortium of Total (49%) and Marubeni (51%) as the result of the country’s first solar tender. Qatar’s first large-scale solar power plant, Al Kharsaah will provide sustainable, affordable and clean energy to industries, services and individuals through the Qatari grid starting from 2021 with an initial 350 MWp capacity before reaching its full capacity in 2022.
APICORP partners with Yellow Door Energy for rooftop solar panels at headquarters
The Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (APICORP), a multilateral development financial institution, announced that it signed two agreements with Yellow Door Energy (YDE), a leading sustainable energy solutions provider in the Middle East, to install solar panels at APICORP’s headquarters in Dammam and retrofit the building with energy-efficient technologies. The agreements mark YDE’s first project in Saudi Arabia, demonstrating the company’s exponential growth in the region. Expected to be completed by end of 2020, the new fittings will cut APICORP’s carbon emissions by 2,000 tonnes and generate up to 718 MWh of clean energy, as well as significantly reduce energy consumption by 35%.
Saudi Arabia joins club of Middle East’s ‘green energy’ leaders
Saudi Arabia has become one of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s leaders in the race to use renewable energy. The Solar Outlook Report 2020 was launched at the Solar Forum of the World Future Energy Summit, a highlight of this year’s Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (Jan. 11-18). The report, prepared by Middle East Solar Industry Association (MESIA), said Saudi Arabia and Oman have joined the UAE, Morocco and Egypt as leaders in the renewables race.“Saudi Arabia is now in the third year of implementation of its massive target of 60 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy generation by 2030,” it said.
Dubai Sees World’s Largest Single-Site 700 MW Concentrated Solar Project by Shanghai Electric and DEWA
Significant progress has been made in the Dubai 700 MW concentrated solar power project, announced as the world’s largest single-site concentrated solar project (CSP). The 700 MW CSP project marks phase four of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai and is a crucial part of the UAE government’s “Vision 2021” initiative to ensure sustainable and environmentally friendly development. Once operational, the CSP plant will reduce Dubai’s carbon footprint by 1.6 million tons per year.
