The multi-billion dollar 800MW Al Kharsaah Solar PV Power Plant (KSPP) was constructed on a 10 square kilometer land area and can provide the national grid with about 10% of peak electricity demand.
KSPP includes more than 1,800,000 solar panels that utilise sun tracking technology to follow the movement of the sun to ensure the most efficient use of land and to maximise daily production. It utilises robotic arms and treated water to clean the solar panels at night in order to enhance the plant's production efficiency.
The Al Kharsaah Solar PV Power Plant is owned by a joint venture between affiliates of QatarEnergy Renewable Solutions (60%), Marubeni (20.4%) and TotalEnergies (19.6%).
The plant inauguration ceremony at Al Kharsaah was attended by HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa al-Thani and HE the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, Saad Sherida al-Kaabi among other dignitaries.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, al-Kaabi highlighted some of Qatar’s efforts towards achieving its sustainability targets.
“Al Kharsaah plant is one of the country's strategic initiatives to build projects that contribute to reducing gas and thermal emissions, thus achieving about a million-ton reduction in annual carbon dioxide emissions,” al-Kaabi stressed.
Al-Kaabi highlighted some of the environmental efforts and sustainability requirements that were taken into account in building this landmark plant, saying, “The site of Al Kharsaah was chosen following extensive scientific studies to determine the sites with the best possible operational efficiency and maximum economic value, placing great consideration to the geological, environmental, and social impacts of establishing this station.”
Al-Kaabi thanked QatarEnergy’s partners in the project, namely, Japan’s Marubeni, France’s TotalEnergies, as well as the project’s contractors for their efforts to deliver this project.
The minister also expressed his thanks and appreciation to QatarEnergy, Qatar Electricity and Water Company, and the President, management, and employees of Kahramaa for their continuous efforts to meet the country’s electricity and water needs with the highest standards.
"I am honoured to present ample thanks and gratitude to His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, for his unlimited support and wise guidance, without which we would not have accomplished such a project,” al-Kaabi added.
KSPP started supplying electrical power to Qatar’s electricity grid last June, marking the startup of the 400 MW first phase of the 800 MW plant. Full capacity was reached by the end of the second phase. The KSPP can provide the national grid with about 10% of peak electricity demand.
Building this plant comes as part of implementing QatarEnergy’s updated Sustainability Strategy, which re-emphasises its commitment, as a major energy producer, to the responsible production of clean and affordable energy to facilitate the energy transition.
In addition to increasing solar capacity to over 5GW, the strategy targets reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and deploying carbon capture and storage technology to capture over 11mn tons per year of CO2 in Qatar by 2035.
It also aims to further reduce the carbon intensity of LNG facilities bolstering Qatar’s commitment to responsibly supply cleaner LNG at scale in support of the energy transition.
