Satyendra Pathak
Doha
His Highness the Amir of State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani inaugurated the Al Kharsaah Solar Power Plant in Al Kharsaah on Tuesday.
The 800MW Al Kharsaah Solar Power Plant (KSPP), which was constructed over a 10-square kilometre land area, can provide the national grid with about 10 percent of peak electricity demand. The solar power plant has more than 1,800,000 solar panels.
During the ceremony, a documentary film was shown about the plant. The film also showed the phases of the plant progress and its role in meeting 10 percent of the country’s peak electricity demand, as well as the operations and the use of robots to enhance the efficiency of the plant.
After the inauguration, HH the Amir toured the plant’s main control room and listened to an explanation of its role in meeting the local needs of energy supply and QatarEnergy’s strategic goals for sustainability, which includes producing clean energy towards a responsible transition to low-carbon energy.
In a tweet, HH the Amir said the inauguration of the Al Kharsaah Solar Power Plant is part of our plans to reduce carbon emissions and the effects of climate change.
“Today we inaugurated the Al Kharsaah solar power plant, the first of its kind in the country. It will contribute to generating the equivalent of one-tenth of the energy used in the national electricity grid at peak times from a sustainable and environmentally friendly source, and within our plans to reduce carbon emissions and the effects of climate change,” HH the Amir said in a tweet.
Prime Minister and Minister of Interior HE Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, a number of sheikhs and ministers, and senior officials of local and international companies attended the ceremony.
The Al Kharsaah Solar Power Plant is owned by a joint venture between affiliates of QatarEnergy Renewable Solutions (60 percent), Marubeni (20.4 percent), and TotalEnergies (19.6 percent).
The plant is the first in Qatar and one of the largest in terms of size and capacity in the region, with a total capacity of 800 megawatts (MW).KSPP includes more than 1,800,000 solar panels that utilize sun-tracking technology to follow the movement of the sun to ensure the most efficient use of land and maximize daily production.
