Public tender issued in Bahrain for 100MW solar power plant

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Bahrain - A public tender has been issued for a 100MW solar power plant, planned to be functional in Bahrain by December 2019.

The tender, which is for a request for concept, began on March 6 and will continue until April 11.

Plans to build the power plant as a public-private partnership project were previously approved by the government.

The land allocated for the project, located on a landfill site in Askar, measures two million square metres.

It was announced by Electricity and Water Affairs Minister Dr Abdulhussain Mirza yesterday as he spoke at an American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Bahrain luncheon.

“We have issued a public tender for request for concept because the land allocated for this is 2m sqm on a landfill,” he told the audience.

The power plant is expected to be completed by December 2019, Dr Mirza said.

The business networking luncheon was held at the Wyndham Grand Manama, Bahrain Bay, where Dr Mirza spoke about diversifying energy sources in Bahrain.

During the event he discussed the net metering scheme, which came into effect from January 1, under which the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) is no longer the sole producer of power in the country.

Homeowners and others who are able to generate electricity through solar PV systems will not only be able to reduce their consumption of power from the grid, thereby reducing their bills, but also be able to charge the EWA for the excess electricity they produce by pumping it into the grid.

Other topics discussed included the Sustainable Energy Unit (SEU) and other government efforts for renewables.

Last year’s EWA end-of-year report featured a seven-step renewable energy plan. This included establishing the 100MW solar energy plant and installing solar energy panels on government buildings – generating another 50MW.

It also included setting up panels on existing and new government housing projects, generating 50MW through wind power and generating energy through waste from the Tubli Water Treatment station.

The SEU was established to ensure five per cent of Bahrain’s total energy consumption is met through renewables by 2025, increasing to 10pc by 2035.