LNG producing giant QatarEnergy has awarded an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to South Korea’s Samsung C&T for two large photovoltaic solar power plants. These plants will provide power for QatarEnergy’s huge NFE and NFS LNG expansion projects.
QatarEnergy Renewable Solutions, a unit of state-owned QatarEnergy tasked with investing in renewable energy and sustainability projects awarded the contract for the IC Solar project.
Samsung C&T will build these two power plants with a combined capacity of 875 MW in Mesaieed Industrial City (MIC) and Ras Laffan Industrial City (RLIC), according to a statement by QatarEnergy.
The project has a price tag of about 2.3 billion riyals ($632 million).
Along with Al Kharsaa Solar PV power plant, which is currently under construction, the IC Solar project will increase Qatar’s renewable energy generation capacity to 1.675 GW by 2024.
Slashing emissions
QatarEnergy said the project would utilize high-efficiency bifacial modules mounted on single-axis trackers as well as cleaning robots that would operate daily to minimize losses due to soiling by removing dust from the PV modules.
The project’s power generation capacity is strategically distributed between the two main industrial cities in Qatar, MIC and RLIC.
MIC will have a 417 MW plant and RLIC will have a 458 MW plant. The two plants will occupy a combined area of 10 square kilometers.
QatarEnergy said the project would result in direct emissions reduction of more than 28 million tons of CO2 over its lifetime.
The output of both plants would contribute to the reduction of QatarEnergy’s GHG footprints from its facilities in RLIC and MIC, most notable its NFE and NFS LNG expansion projects, in addition to expanding grid capacity in other locations, it said.
In February last year, QatarEnergy took a final investment decision on the NFE project to boost Qatar’s annual LNG capacity from 77 million tons to 110 million tons.
The firm is developing a second phase to further boost capacity to 126 Mtpa as well as additional expansions.