+ A
A -
Tribune News NetworkDohaQatarEnergy on Tuesday said South Korea’s Samsung C&T has won a QR2.3 billion contract to build two mega solar power plants in Qatar. The photovoltaic (PV) plants will be located in the industrial cities of Ras Laffan and Mesaieed. Each plant will be 10 square kilometres in size and will have a combined capacity of 875 megawatts —more than 400 MW each.Together, they form the Industrial Cities solar power project (IC Solar), which along with the Al Kharsaa Solar PV Power Plant will increase Qatar’s renewable energy generation capacity to 1.675 gigawatts (GW) by 2024. According to cnet.com, 1 GW is enough to power about 750,000 homes.Samsung C&T signed the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with QatarEnergy Renewable Solutions, a wholly-owned affiliate of QatarEnergy tasked with investing in renewable energy and sustainability projects and products in Qatar and across the globe.His Excellency Saad Sherida Al Kaabi, the Minister of State for Energy Affairs and President and CEO of QatarEnergy, witnessed the signing of the EPC contract. Attendees in the ceremony included Sechul Oh, President and CEO of Samsung C&T Corporation and other senior executives from QatarEnergy and Samsung C&T.“This IC Solar project is a major step in the implementation of our strategy to diversify Qatar’s energy resources and to increase the reliance on high-efficiency renewable energy, which is a cornerstone for a sustainable future,” Kaabi said.“It also reaffirms our commitment towards delivery on QatarEnergy’s Sustainability Strategy and our mid-term target of having 5 GW of solar generated power by 2035. It also gives me great pleasure that this landmark project marks the first investment for our newly formed, wholly owned subsidiary, QatarEnergy Renewable Solutions, which will invest in and hold all our renewables and other sustainable initiatives going forward.”The IC Solar project will utilise high-efficiency bifacial modules mounted on single-axis trackers as well as cleaning robots that will operate daily to minimize losses due to soiling by removing dust from the PV modules. This will maximize the additional energy yield produced by the bifacial modules.The project’s power generation capacity is strategically distributed between the Mesaieed Industrial City (MIC) and the Ras Laffan Industrial City (RLIC). MIC will have a 417 MW plant and RLIC will have a 458 MW plant.The QR2.3 billion IC Solar project will result in direct emissions reduction of more than 28 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. The output of both plants will contribute to the reduction of QatarEnergy’s GHG footprints from its facilities in RLIC and MIC, most notable its NFE and NFS LNG expansion projects, in addition to expanding grid capacity in other locations.
