The Al Kharsaah solar plant represents 10% of the peak electricity demand in the country
The solar plant will be located near Doha. (Credit: Unsplash/Antonio Garcia)
Japanese conglomerate Marubeni through its special purpose company founded with Siraj Energy and Total Solar International, have signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (KAHRAMAA) to supply power from the 800MW Al Kharsaah Solar plant.
The PPA has been signed signed for a 25-year term. The special purpose company in which Marubeni, Total and Siraj own 20.4%, 19.6% and 60% stakes, respectively, will develop, construct, operate and maintain the solar plant.
The Al Kharsaah solar project is being built at cost of $500m
To be located 80km west of Doha, Qatar, the solar plant was awarded under the country’s first solar tender. It is being built at a cost of $500m.
As the first large-scale solar plant in the country, Al Kharsaah is expected to generate affordable and clean energy to industries, services and individual consumers through the Qatari grid starting from next year. Initially, the solar project will have an output of 350MW and in 2022, its full capacity will be realised.
The solar plant represents 10% of the peak electricity demand in the country and could offset 26 million tonnes of CO2 emissions during the lifetime of the project.
Expected to sit on 1000 hectares of land, the plant will be powered by 2 million bifacial solar modules with trackers, offering significant power gains to the grid, leveraging the exceptionally high sunlight exposure in the region.
Total chairman and CEO Patrick Pouyanné said: “We are proud to pioneer the development of the first large-scale solar power plant in Qatar and support the country’s assertive commitment to developing renewable energy. Together with our partners, we will bring the best of our expertise and technical know-how to deliver one of the most competitive projects in the world.
“Al Kharsaah, Total’s largest solar project to date, will contribute to our ambition to deploy 25 GW of renewables by 2025. This project further strengthens our long-term partnership with Qatar in oil, natural gas, refining and petrochemicals and expands it to include renewable energy. It is a very clear symbol of the strategy of Total to become a global energy company.”
The solar plant is Marubeni’s second independent power plant in the country, the first being the Mesaieed Gas Fired Combined Cycle IPP Project (2GW) which has been operating since 2010.