SOLAR-

Bahrain unveils 5.7 MW solar plant: Bahrain has opened a 5.7 MW solar plant — its second largest — with an annual capacity of 9 mn kWh, according to a statement. The project, managed by Vitol Bahrain, is located in Dragon City and will also have two EV charging points installed. Bahrain tapped Turkish-based Goksin Construction last September to develop a USD 31.8 mn, 100 MW solar power project in its Askar landfill. The country also reportedly signed contracts to set up a 72 MW solar power project in Sukhair last August. The project will include rooftop, ground-mounted, and car park solar power systems, as well as EV charging stations.

DESALINATION-

Saudi Arabia’s Acwa Power has received the commercial operation certificate for its Al Taweelah desalination plant in Abu Dhabi, according to a statement. The certificate — issued by Emirates Water and Electricity (Ewec) — will allow the renewables giant to launch the final phase of the project, which began operating in 2022. Acwa Power owns a 40% stake in the plant, and UAE’s Abu Dhabi Power Corporation and Mubadala Development Company hold a 30% stake each.

MINING-

KSA’s Almasane Alkobra Mining has renewed its offtake agreement with Glencore International for an additional 24 months, it said in a filing to Tadawul. The move will see the mining player sell all of its zinc and copper concentrates from its local operations to Glencore until the end of December 2026. Meanwhile, Glencore will continue to provide mining technical services to optimize the value of the products. The 2-year agreement — which was originally signed inJanurary2023 — remains subject to renewal.

Why is this important? Zinc is one of the key metals needed for the renewable energy industry coating solar panels and wind turbines to prevent rust.

OTHER STORIES WORTH KNOWING ABOUT THIS MORNING-

  • Oman turns its biggest venue space green: Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre signed an agreement with TotalEnergies’ Mena renewables division to develop a 4.6 MW rooftop solar PV project which will power venues with 7k MWh annually. (Statement)
  • Demand for renewables projects is gaining traction in Jordan: Jordan’s Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission said it received nearly double the number of applications for renewable energy projects in January — reaching 55 applications compared with 28 applications in the same period last year. The applications were part of a total of 879 resource projects submitted, with the rest reflecting requests for natural resource (458) nuclear energy (173), and oil and gas (185) projects. (Statement)
  • Dewa cuts 92.5 mn tons of CO2 emissions by increasing production efficiency: The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) achieved a 41.73% increase in electricity and water production efficiency between 2006 and 2023 by upgrading plants and utilizing new technologies, resulting in a reduction of 92.5 mn tons of carbon emissions. (Wam)
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