Qatar inaugurates 875 MW Solar PV Power Plants

His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Amir of the State of Qatar, inaugurated the Ras Laffan and Mesaieed solar PV power plants with a combined capacity of 875 megawatts (MW), which will more than double the State of Qatar’s solar energy production to 1,675 MW of renewable energy.

The inauguration ceremony took place in Ras Laffan Industrial City in the presence of His Excellency Mr. Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, the President and CEO of QatarEnergy, and a number of Qatar’s energy sector executives and senior officials.

In remarks at the ceremony, H.E. Minister Al-Kaabi stressed that the start of operation of the Ras Laffan and Mesaieed solar power plants constitutes an important step towards achieving the fourth pillar of the Qatar National Vision 2030, which is managing the environment in a manner that balances economic and social development and environmental protection, while also achieving one of the goals of QatarEnergy’s Sustainability Strategy, which is to generate more than 4,000 megawatts of renewable energy by 2030.

H.E. Minister Al-Kaabi said: “The construction of solar power plants is one of Qatar’s most important initiatives to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, to develop sustainability projects, and to diversify electricity generation sources. These plants are expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 4.7 million tons annually. The two plants, along with the Al-Kharsaah plant, will play a significant role in meeting the country’s electricity demand, contributing about 15% of the total peak electricity demand. This percentage will rise to 30%, God willing, with the operation of the world-scale 2,000 Megawatt Dukhan solar power plant by 2029.”

H.E. Al-Kaabi added: “We have moved beyond relying on the expertise of others for the construction, operation, and maintenance of solar power plants, and have begun implementing such projects using our own national expertise. We are proud of them and their achievements.”

Concluding his remarks, Minister Al-Kaabi thanked the project management team, and all participating companies for their efforts towards completing this project.

H.E. Minister Al-Kaabi concluded by saying: “I am honored to express our sincere thanks and gratitude to His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Amir of the State of Qatar, for honoring us with his presence today, and for his wise guidance and unlimited support, which have a significant effect on achieving energy projects.”