Bahrain’s Cross-Border Solar Project Underway

A new transnational solar project could supply Bahrain with a fifth of all its power needs, according to the CEO of the country’s state energy conglomerate Nogaholding. Mark Thomas made the claim as he revealed Bahrain has begun discussions with neighboring governments to develop the scheme. Thompson disclosed that various enthusiastic partners who sought collaboration were approached, but he declined to identify them. “In our region, solar is ideal, but you just need geographic space for it. We don’t have it, but there are locations very close to us and it is very realistic that we could interconnect,” Thomas said in an interview with MEED. He further noted that the cross-border solar project’s feasibility study is underway. Bahrain’s solar scheme is part of a larger agenda to reduce its carbon footprint, aiming to bring carbon emissions to net zero by 2060 by adopting a circular carbon economy.

In March, Thomas revealed plans for a carbon capture and storage project worth around US$4 billion to extract 10 to 12 million tons of carbon dioxide a year for a minimum of 50 years. Thomas said: “The good thing is that it is all onshore (and) 10-12 million tons of emissions are all within a seven-kilometer radius, and the field where it will be stored is 10 kilometers away.” The CCS project will be located in Awali Field, with a reservoir that could sequester over 550 billion tons of carbon dioxide. “This is a very expensive project. We are looking for economies of scale and how we might stage it in a way that makes sense,” he added.

Its front-end engineering and design are estimated to begin before the end of 2023. In January this year, the country’s Ministry of Electricity and Water Affairs received seven bids for the contract to build, own, operate and maintain grid-tied solar photovoltaic power panels. The panels have a minimum capacity of 72 megawatts and are in the country’s southern region of Sakhir, revealed MEED. The project, with a 20-year operation and maintenance contract, comprises rooftop, ground-mounted, and car park solar power systems and electric vehicle charging stations. MEED added that panels would be spread across numerous locations, including the Bahrain International Circuit, the University of Bahrain, the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre and the Al-Dana Amphitheatre.