Work commences on Sharjah's largest solar plant: Emerge Limited –– a joint venture between Abu Dhabi state-owned renewable energy developer Masdar and France’s EDF — has kicked off construction on its 60 MW solar PV plant at the Sharjah National Oil Corporation’s (SNOC) Sajaa Gas Complex, according to a statement. The new solar power station is expected to be operational by the end of 2024.

About the plant: The project — the largest solar installation in Sharjah — will offset 66k tons of CO2 emissions annually. Emerge will provide turnkey operation and maintenance solutions for 25 years. The project supports SNOC’s goals to reach net-zero emissions by 2032.

This has been in the works since last year: SNOC signed an agreement with Emerge to set up the solar power plant last October. Emerge plans to export the surplus solar energy produced by SNOC’s Sajaa Gas complex during the day to the Sharjah Electricity, Water, and Gas Authority (SEWA). In return, SEWA will provide SNOC with electricity during the night when demand for electricity is lower.

Emerge has other solar projects in the works: The company signed an agreement with AJ Steel Pipes last month to install a 3 MW rooftop solar plant at the steel manufacturer’s Mussafah facilities in Abu Dhabi. Emerge will provide financing and maintenance for 25 years for the plant, which will offset around 2.5k tons of emissions and generate over 5 GWh of electricity annually. Emerge is also set to provide a full turnkey solution for the solar power plants across Abu Dhabi developed by UAE renewables firm Masdar and the UAE Ministry of Defence.

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