Qatar Energy has announced two new solar energy projects at Mesaieed and Ras Laffan, expected to double the country’s renewable energy output once completed and generate 875 megawatts of renewable electricity

Qatar, among the biggest producers of liquified natural gas, aims to increase its solar power output to 1.6 gigawatts by 2024. Qatar’s Energy Minister Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi said these projects will help the country “increase the reliance on high-efficiency renewable energy.”

“It also reaffirms our commitment towards delivery on Qatar Energy’s sustainability strategy and our mid-term target of having 5 GW of solar-generated power by 2035,” he added.

According to Qatar Energy, the Mesaieed Industrial City (MIC) will have a capacity of 417 MW, while the Ras Laffan Industrial City (RLIC) will have an output of 458 MW. These plants will be spread over a combined area of over 10 square kilometres and be constructed by South Korean company Samsung C&T with an initial investment of $630 million.

The company had earlier revealed its plan to scale up its carbon capture and storage and solar power generation capabilities to reduce its facilities’ carbon footprint by 2035.

“These projects will further reduce the carbon intensity of Qatar’s liquefied natural gas facilities by 35%, and of its upstream facilities by at least 25% (also by 2035) — compared to previous targets of 25% and 15%,” the company claimed.

The upcoming IC solar project will be the second in Qatar after the 800 MW Al-Kharsaah solar farm.

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