'It’s time for Bahrain to ditch fossil fuels & plug in their cars'

Agencies | Manama                                           

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com   

Enough is enough! The time has come forth for people in Bahrain to plug in their vehicles and reduce fossil fuel dependency, says the Ministry of Electricity and Water Affairs, as this is crucial for Bahrain to meet climate targets.

Bahrain, the ministry said, should reduce its “overall fossil fuel dependency” by developing a EV strategy, that too in “three months.”

Bahrain targets a nationwide EV charging infrastructure, necessary policies and regulations and, most importantly, reduce the overall cost of EV ownership. While many countries and cities are investing in public charging stations, the availability of charging points can still be a limiting factor for some EV owners.

The authority aims to overcome this challenge in a “controlled and sustainable” way, which it said is crucial for Bahrain’s journey towards reaching Net Zero by 2060. The plan calls for increasing the usage of renewable energy sources such as solar power, reducing overall dependency on fossil fuels, and lower pollution levels.

Also crucial in the way forward is reducing the overall cost of EV ownership for all stakeholders, including the government, industries, and private citizens. The aim is to reduce carbon emissions by 30% through decarbonization and energy efficiency initiatives.

Six bidders

Developing an EV strategy is the first step, for which EWA opened a tender and attracted six players from around the globe. McKinsey & Company (BHD 562.800), Egis International (BHD 174,685.720), PriceWaterhouseCoopers Bahrain (BHD 159,500.000), Arthur D Little (Bahrain) (BHD 435,158.000), Oliver Wyman FZ-LLC (BHD 517,000.000) and Deloitte & Touche (BHD 112,772.000) are the bidding companies.

Tender board data says all of the bids stand accepted. The objective is to identify, promote and facilitate sustainable business models, infrastructures, and policies to reduce carbon emissions by 30% through decarbonization and energy efficiency initiatives and reach Net Zero by 2060.

With the development of this strategy, Bahrain is to take a significant step towards a more sustainable future by promoting the use of EVs and renewable energy sources while reducing its carbon footprint.