60 MW solar project in Sharjah: The Sharjah National Oil Corporation (SNOC) has commissioned a 60 MW solar power plant, the 1st in Sharjah. Located next to the Sajaa Gas Plant, the new facility covers 850,000 sq. m. SNOC said that it is one of the world’s 1st large-scale oil and gas processing facilities to meet its own electrical needs and export surplus power using on-site solar generation. The project will help SNOC reduce carbon emissions by 66,000 tons annually with more than 98,000 solar panels installed on 13,000 flexible poles that track the movement of the sun. It originally started as a 300 kW solar system at the Hamriyah LNG terminal in 2018 to power its operations. The same facility has now been expanded to the 60 MW SANA Solar Power Plant in the Sajaa area. SNOC backed this project, which is a result of a collaboration between the Sharjah Electricity, Water and Gas Authority (SEWA) and Emerge, a partnership between Masdar and EDF Group. Emerge will oversee the operations of the project.
Partnership for Africa: Clean energy infrastructure development and asset management company Genesis Energy Holding and Desert Technologies Industries Factory (D-T), a smart solar infrastructure firm from Saudi Arabia, have signed a strategic collaboration agreement following a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed earlier this year. As partners, the solar and storage products subsidiary of Genesis will become the preferred partner for D-T in Africa to distribute and implement high-efficiency solar PV and battery energy storage systems (BESS). Their focus will be on mini-grid and utility-scale solutions. They will also explore project-specific joint ventures and financing models, including special purpose vehicles (SPV) and access to credit facilities through the Saudi EXIM Bank and other agencies.
D-T implements mini-grid projects using its rapidly deployable, containerized solar power system for off-grid and remote communities that are historically underserved by national utilities. Genesis brings to the table its understanding of the market development, financing and infrastructure delivery as it has over 458 MW in operation and under implementation, with a more than 4.5 GW project pipeline.
Partnership for 270 MW in Morocco: Sound Energy from the UK is collaborating with Gaia Energy Ltd to co-develop up to 270 MW of installed solar PV capacity in Morocco. They plan to launch a joint venture (JV) to construct solar power sites at 10 or more locations close to medium voltage substations and reach more customers, ‘taking advantage of the liberalized’ MV grid in the country. Gaia has launched feasibility studies at a number of sites for the measurement and modeling of solar irradiation, land access studies, grid connection and capacity assessments. They plan to follow it up with formal applications for grid capacity, other regulatory requirements and negotiation of power purchase agreements (PPA). Both companies eye growing opportunities for solar in the country as Morocco seeks to reduce its fossil fuel consumption and lower its dependency on imports.
DNV’s owner’s engineer job in Egypt: DNV has secured the contract as the owner’s engineer for the 1 GW Abydos for Renewable Energy (AFRE) solar PV project and its integrated 600 MWh BESS in Benban, Egypt. The AMEA Power project is scheduled to supply 3,100 GWh of clean energy to over 500,000 homes. DNV will support the project right from feasibility and design review through to construction supervision and commissioning oversight. AMEA Power has secured a golden license from the government for this project that’s designed to come online in 2 phases (see Middle East & Africa Solar PV News Snippets: EliTe Solar Breaks Ground On Solar Cell Fab In Egypt & More).
Jinko ESS in Nigeria: JinkoSolar’s energy storage business division, Jinko ESS, has commissioned a 1 MW solar PV system with a 1.08 MWh air-cooled BESS in Oyo state of Nigeria. It is part of the 11 MW hybrid power initiative of the state government to enhance energy access and sustainability across the region, it added. The hybrid system is fully integrated with a gas turbine to ensure stable, reliable electricity to critical government facilities, and also powers public lighting across a 10-km radius under the state’s flagship Light-Up Oyo initiative. The project is owned by Elektron, while the EPC works have been completed by Royal Power and Energy Limited.