Al Kharsaah, a pioneering solar power plant in Qatar

Located just 80 km west of Qatar’s capital, Doha, the Al Kharsaah Solar PV Independent Power Producer (IPP) Project is the country’s first large-scale solar power plant (800 MWp) and is set to significantly reduce its environmental footprint. The project is owned and operated by Siraj 1 SPV, a consortium jointly owned by TotalEnergies & Marubeni (40%) and Siraj Energy (60%), the latter being a joint venture between QatarEnergy (previously Qatar Petroleum) and QEWC (Qatar Electricity & Water Co.).

A landmark solar project

Set to become the world’s largest solar power plant equipped with high-efficiency, half-cut bifacial solar modules, the 800 MWp Al Kharsaah Solar PV IPP Project will cover 10 square kilometers (the equivalent of roughly 1,400 soccer fields) and will feature 2 million modules mounted on trackers. This will enable substantial power gains by taking full advantage of the region's exceptional sunshine.

In addition, the use of 3,240 installed string inverters will further increase annual yield by allowing for better tracking of the maximum power point at the string level. The plant will also feature a semi-automated cleaning system for the solar modules that cleans the dust and sand off every single module once every four days.

In terms of power generation, the Al Kharsaah plant has a full capacity of 800 MWp that will be built in two phases of 400 MWp each and is set to be fully operational in the second half of 2022. During its first year of operation (P50 Year 1), it is expected to generate almost 2,000,000 MWh, the equivalent energy consumption of approximately 55,000 Qatari households.

A new chapter for energy in Qatar

The project represents a milestone in the country’s energy history, set to produce 10% of its peak electricity demand at full capacity and reduce CO2 emissions by 26 million metric tons over its lifespan.