Doha (AFP)
Qatar, a gas-rich country, signed a $ 470 million deal on Sunday for the construction of its first solar power plant by a joint venture including French giant Total, the energy ministry said.
"The capacity will be around 800 megawatts, or 10% of (national) demand during peak periods," Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi told reporters.
"It will be the largest (solar) power plant built by Total," said the CEO of the French giant, Patrick Pouyanné.
Ranked among the worst students in the world in terms of ecological footprint, the Gulf countries, which depend heavily on oil and gas, have invested tens of billions of dollars in "clean" energy projects, mainly in solar and nuclear.
The Al-Kharsaah power plant, which will be built on 10 km2 near the capital Doha, is expected to be completed in 2022, the year of the Football World Cup which will take place in the small emirate of the Arabian peninsula.
State enterprises in Qatar will control 60% of the capital, Marubeni will hold 51% of the rest and Total 49%.
Al-Kharsaah is relatively modest compared to other solar power plants in the region. The one in Sweihan, near the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, one of the largest in the world, produces 1,177 megawatts.
The first civilian nuclear reactor in the United Arab Emirates will start operating in "a few months", said officials of the energy sector in the country after many reports related, among other things, to compliance with safety standards.
The start of this reactor, the first of the four forming the Barakah nuclear power plant, was originally planned for the end of 2017.
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