Guizhou powers up Qatar World Cup

Al Kharsaah PV power station, the first solar power plant in Qatar, is constructed by POWERCHINA Guizhou Engineering Co. [Photo/ddcpc website]

The 2022 FIFA World Cup kicked off at Al-Bayt Stadium in Qatar on Nov 20. The stadium's power is supplied by Al Kharsaah PV power station, which is Qatar's first solar power plant and was constructed by POWERCHINA Guizhou Engineering Co.

The 800-megawatt PV power station, which started operating one month before the opening of the World Cup, is a major part of efforts by the World Cup organizers to go carbon-neutral.

The Al Kharsaah PV power station, the largest PV power station in the Middle East and the third largest single PV power plant project in the world, received an investment of $417 million.

It is located in a desert 80 kilometers west of Doha, covering a total area of 10 square kilometers and containing more than 2 million solar panels.

The power station was signed into effect in February 2022 and started construction in July of the same year. The first stage of the power station was combined to the grid in June 2022, and the entire project began operating at full capacity in September. It was completed on Oct 18.

According to Guo Wei, president of POWERCHINA Guizhou Engineering Co, the project team overcame countless difficulties during construction, and used environmentally-friendly methods, so as to complete the project safely and efficiently with high quality.

The power plant is also the world's largest PV project applying a tracking system and double-sided components. The PV tracking system can track the sun's location in real time and keep the PV panels and sunlight at the best angle, while the double-sided components allow the panels to realize photovoltaic conversion on both sides.

It is estimated that the power station can provide about 1.8 billion kilowatt-hours of energy per year, which is able to meet the annual electricity consumption of about 300,000 families and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 900,000 metric tons per year.

During the World Cup, the project team of POWERCHINA Guizhou Engineering Co will stay on duty 24/7 to ensure the safe operation of the station.

In recent years, POWERCHINA Guizhou Engineering Co has been actively taking part in the Belt and Road Initiative and signed contracts for 18 energy and infrastructure projects across the world.