As the Middle East and North African (Mena) countries set to emerge as a major renewable energy force, Qatar is getting ready to be a key contributor. A top Qatari official said the country would be one of the contributors to the GCC power grid interconnections that would export electricity to the neighboring countries and even beyond.
Qatar is eyeing the export of electricity from the six countries in the Gulf co-operation Council regional group. The upgrade of the region's power grid interconnections might accentuate the plans. The potential of the region's renewable energy goes beyond to see the GCC connection to Egypt and then Europe, The Financial Times reported.
"I see the future where power generation could be anywhere and people just get their electricity from places simply because grids are being integrated", the London newspaper quoted Fahad bin Mohammed Al Attiya, Chairman of Qatar National Food Security Programme (QNFSP) as saying.
An estimated 80 percent of Qatar's total water desalination process would be soon powered by solar energy. The country's proposed 1,800MW solar project is in the final stage. Once the project becomes operational, Qatar's water needs would be mainly met through solar energy.
According to Ernst & Young's Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Indices (CAI) Saudi Arabia and the UAE are expected to lead Middle East and North Africa region's generation of renewable energy. The UAE and Saudi Arabia are the new entrants from the Mena to Ernst & Young's CAI, which covers 40 countries across the globe on the attractiveness of their renewable energy markets, energy infrastructure and the suitability for individual technologies.
The Peninsula
18 December
