Bahrain renewable energy projects are in full swing

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The Sustainable Energy Authority (SEA) has outlined its renewable energy projects in Bahrain particularly in the field of solar energy.

This came as SEA President Dr Abdulhussain bin Ali Mirza yesterday chaired the 23rd meeting of the National Committee for the implementation and follow-up on the National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP) and National Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP), held remotely.

Taking part in the event were members and the Resident Representative of the UN Development Programme to Bahrain. Dr Mirza reviewed the latest developments since the committee’s previous meeting in April, most notably the positive outcomes of the recently-launched tenders of several pioneering solar energy projects, such as the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC)’s tender to install solar energy systems on car park roofs to produce about 3 megawatts of clean energy.

He revealed the latest SEA-supported renewable energy projects, such as the Majid Al Futtaim project to install the largest central solar energy system with a maximum production capacity of 6.2 megawatts on the Bahrain Mall.

The SEA head also informed the session about the progress of the projects to install solar energy on the roofs of the buildings of the Ministry of Labour and Social Development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs and other government departments.

He briefed the meeting about SEA’s efforts to cooperate with the Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning to implement the Green Building Code and its guide for classifying green buildings.

Dr Mirza highlighted SEA’s discussions with the private sector companies and the important joint cooperation agreements it has signed, the most prominent of which was the cooperation agreement with the Union Energy Company to support renewable energy projects and attract investments to solar energy projects, in particular, because of their promising potential and proven feasibility.

The session featured a presentation by SEA about the progress of the preparation of its strategic plan for electric vehicles, and another by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism on specifications and requirements of electric vehicles, which are scheduled to come into force on July 28, 2021, in preparation for a qualitative shift and sustainable transportation strategies, and their important economic and environmental dimensions.

The meeting also touched upon the developments of the adoption of the national policies for central cooling, which will be regulated by SEA.