The KSPP has a total capacity of 800 megawatts, making it one of the biggest solar power plants in the region in terms of size and output.
Qatar will have two additional solar power plants with a combined capacity of 880 megawatts (MW) within the next two years, an official confirmed, noting the move is part of plans to switch to clean energy.
“Al Kharsaah Solar PV Power Plant (KSPP) is a qualitative leap in diversifying sources of producing electricity in the country,” said Mohamad Al Harami from KSPP of QatarEnergy in an interview with Qatar TV.
He said the country’s first solar power plant, known as KSPP, will be followed by two others, one in Mesaieed with a 410 megawatt capacity and the other in Ras Laffan with a 470 megawatt capacity.
“The two projects, which will see the light of the day within two years from now, will be an added value to renewable energy sector of Qatar,” Al Harami added.
The KSPP has a total capacity of 800 megawatts, making it one of the biggest solar power plants in the region in terms of size and output. It was constructed in Al Kharsah on a 10 square kilometre plot of land.
“KSPP is not only energy efficient but it also helped reduce manpower significantly in its operation,” Al Harami added.
The facility has more than 1,800,000 solar panels that use sun tracking technology to track the sun’s path in order to make the best use of the available land and increase daily production. In order to increase production efficiency, the plant uses robotic arms and treated water to clean the solar panels at night.
Building KSPP is part of QatarEnergy’s updated Sustainability Strategy, which falls in line with the company’s commitment to responsible production of clean and affordable energy to support the energy transition as a major energy producer.
The strategy aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and deploy carbon capture and storage technology to capture over 11 million tonnes of CO2 annually in Qatar by 2035, in addition to increasing solar capacity to over 5 GW.
In order to support the energy transition, the strategy also aims to further reduce the carbon intensity of LNG facilities, reinforcing Qatar’s commitment to responsibly supply cleaner LNG on a large scale.
