Electricity and Water Affairs Minister Dr. Abdulhussain Mirza and Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) Chief Executive Officer Sheikh Nawaf bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, accompanied by senior officials, visited the site of the solar and wind energy pilot project to produce electricity.
The EWA is currently setting up the experimental plant for the production of electricity using solar and wind energy with a total capacity of 5 megawatts on a land of 12 hectares. The project will include the installation of 3 megawatt solar cells, the installation of two 2 megawatt wind turbines and a control, operation and control building. The plant will be connected to the 11 kV power grid to take advantage of the electric power produced.
Almost 75 per cent of the BD6.5 million project has already been completed. The installation of the wind turbines and most of the solar cells has been completed and the work in the control building has reached an advanced stage. The pilot project will start operating in June. It is being implemented by the German company Juwi International and overseen by the German consulting firm Fichtner.
The performance of the experimental station will determine the efficiency of renewable sources of energy from the sun and wind in the production of electricity and its practical use to achieve the percentage of renewable energy consumption determined by the Council of Ministers.
This is in line with Bahrain exploring new sources of electricity production and to reduce relying on natural gas in the production of energy as well as reducing carbon dioxide emissions to preserve the environment and in line Bahrain’s 2030 economic vision.