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Qatar launches renewables strategy: State-owned Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) has published The Qatar National Renewable Energy Strategy (QNRES) setting a target for the country to reach a renewable power generation of 4 GW by 2030, according to a strategy document (pdf)
The breakdown: The plan aims to increase renewable energy’s share in the power mix from 5% to 18% and reduce reliance on thermal energy from 80% to 72% by 2030. Open cycle gas turbines would decrease from 4% to 3% in the same timeframe while the remaining 10% share of the power mix in 2030 will include the interconnection capacity, small-scale conventional, and small-scale renewables. Qatar will work on installing 200 MW of distributed solar generation by 2030 to boost energy resilience and reduce strain on the centralized grid infrastructure, according to the strategy document.
Lots of money + land is needed: The strategy identifies that USD 7.6 bn in capital expenditures will be needed by 2030 to achieve the set goal.To accommodate the 2030 large-scale renewable energy targets of Qatar will require about 55 sqkm of additional land which represents approximately 0.5% of Qatar’s total land area.
As well as a balanced + regulated grid: The plan balances large-scale renewable energy installations with high-efficiency thermal generation using natural gas to ease the transition of Qatar’s energy sector. The strategy also pushes for the large-scale introduction of net-billing, allowing prosumers to sell surplus power to the grid at a fixed price. This approach — facilitated by bidirectional meters — will not only lower electricity bills but also encourage investments in solar PV, the strategy explains.
Kahramaa’s role: Kahramaa will oversee policy, regulation, strategy execution, and project tendering, and will also be responsible for accepting applications for solar panels and inverters.
Lots of benefits to reap: If achieved, the strategy will help Qatar reduce its annual CO2 emissions from the power sector by 10% and cut 27% of carbon intensity per unit of electricity produced. The strategy will also likely result in a 15% reduction in the average cost of electricity generation by 2030, promoting cost-competitive solutions.
Where is Qatar now? As of 2023, Qatar has 824 MW of renewables installed, 805 MW of which come from solar projects, according to a recent International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) report (pdf). Renewables makeup 7.5% of Qatar’s total electricity capacity, while thermal electricity generating stations account for more than 90% of Qatar’s total capacity, the strategy notes.
Qatar’s plans are already underway: Qatar has taken key steps towards decarbonization by developing two solar PV power plants, the 800 MW Siraj-1 solar project at Al Kharsaa which launched in 2022, and the 800 MW QatarEnergy facility currently under development, the strategy notes.
