Bahrain’s biggest solar plant is set to go onstream by the end of the year, making Khalifa Bin Salman Port (KBSP) the region’s first energy self-sufficient terminal.Costing approximately BD3.8 million ($10m), the plant will have a capacity of 18.5 gigawatts of electricity per year. It will be powered by 20,000 solar photovoltaic panels, which will be installed on the roofs of four warehouses at KBSP, covering a total area of over 71,000sqm.Revealing details of the project during a press conference at the offices of APM Terminals Bahrain, the port operator, officials said the plant would help to reduce KBSP’s carbon emissions by 65 per cent.The APM Terminals representative declared: “Our decarbonisation strategy for the port is in line with the vision of His Majesty King Hamad and the carbon-neutral commitment of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to reduce the kingdom’s emissions by 30 per cent by 2035 and achieve net zero by 2060.”According to Bharat Mehta, the company’s solar project lead, the project will be implemented in two parts, with the first one set for completion by the year-end and the second by Q1-2024.He said the company would announce the contract award by the first week of July, followed by procurement and implementation in the subsequent months.Also speaking was Ahmed Gamal, head of asset management at APM Terminals Bahrain, who shared that the company would work on switching over to clean energy for its entire operations, including full electrification of heavy equipment and machinery, currently run on diesel, in a phased manner from 2026.APM Terminals’ global decarbonisation plans, which include Bahrain, aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70pc by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2040. (ICE Doha)

Fonte notizia: Zawya