Solar plants, Electric Vehicle charging stations on way for Education and Labour Ministries

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The Sustainable Energy Authority is working on projects to create grid-tied solar PV power plants on rooftops and car parks and Electric Vehicle charging stations for the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Labour and Social Development.

The power plant for MoE will be 5MWac, and Labour Ministry will be 2.5MWac. A tender launder by SEA to create the plant on a Build Own Operate and Maintain (BOOM) basis for the MoE attracted four bids.

The bidders are Aradous Energy Generations (BHD .021), Tarsheed energy Consultation and Services (BHD .023), Yusuf bin Ahmed Kanoo (BHD .031) and Isam Kabbani & Partners (BHD .033). According to the tender board, the lowest bidder may not necessarily receive the contract, as price becomes a principle criterion, only after fulfilling technical and other criteria.

The project for the Ministry of Labour will also be BOOMbased. The 2.5MWac power plant attracted technical bids from Aradous Energy Generations, Safeer For Renewable Energy and Isam Kabbani & Partners.

For both MoW and Labour Ministry, SEA will sign a 20-year contract with successful bidders. A 2021 statistics say less than 1% of Bahraini motorists own an electric car. The report, quoting the Bahrain Insurance Association (BIA), also projects obtaining components for electric cars as a ‘major’ challenge for these vehicles in the country.

In April 2021, the Minister of Electricity and Water Affairs Wael bin Nasser Al Mubarak and the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA)’s CEO Shaikh Nawaf bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa inaugurated the first electric car charging station in the Atrium Mall in Saar. The minister, at that time, said that the station is the first among several stations that would open in various regions of Bahrain.