DOHA — Gas-rich
Qatar on Tuesday announced
two major solar projects that will more than double its energy output from the
renewable source within two years.
اضافة اعلان
Energy Minister
Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi hailed the new development as a major step in efforts to
“increase the reliance on high-efficiency renewal energy” in the Gulf state,
which is one of the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas producers.
The new plants at Mesaieed and
Ras Laffan will take
Qatar’s solar output to 1.67 gigawatts by the end of 2024, Qatar Energy said in
a statement.
Mesaieed and Ras Laffan are key bases for Qatar’s
natural gas production, which is also undergoing major expansion.
South Korean conglomerate Samsung will lead
construction of the new solar plants, with an initial investment of more than
$600 million, the statement said.
While lagging behind other Gulf states in the solar
race, Qatar has announced a target of 5 gigawatts of solar energy capacity by
2035.
Last month it plugged the 800 megawatt Al-Kharsaah
solar farm into its national energy grid, according to industry sources.
Al-Kharsaah is expected to be fully operational
before the start of the World Cup football tournament on November 20.
Organizers have used the huge solar plant west of
Doha to back claims that Qatar will host the first “net zero” World Cup — where
greenhouse gas emissions are compensated by renewable energy sources.
Desert sand and dust on the 2 million photo voltaic
cells at Al-Kharsaah are cleaned each day by robots, and
Qatar Energy said the
same system would be used at the two new farms.
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