Plans on track for renewable energy plant in Bahrain

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Bahrain - Plans are on track for a pilot power plant that will produce up to five megawatts (MW) of electricity from renewable resources.

It is being built by the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) on 12 hectares of land at a cost of around BD6.5 million.

The green energy project will produce 3MW from solar energy and 2MW from wind power.

Results of the initiative will determine the effectiveness of renewable power sources in Bahrain.

If successful the project could be rolled out for large-scale applications in the future.

Electricity and Water Affairs Minister Dr Abdulhussain Mirza visited the site yesterday.

EWA chief executive Shaikh Nawaf bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa and officials from the Sustainable Energy Unit (SEU) accompanied him to the site, in the Southern Governorate.

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.

Last year’s EWA end-of-year report featured a seven-step renewable energy plan, which included establishing a 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 100MW solar power plant, which will be developed in collaboration with the private sector, is expected to be operational in 2019.