Aden (South24) 

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Today, the Yemeni government inaugurated a 120-megawatt solar energy station in the capital, Aden, funded by the UAE.

During the inauguration, Prime Minister Ahmed bin Mubarak expressed his government’s gratitude for this strategic project, which aims to alleviate the electricity crisis.

He highlighted that the project marks a significant step towards addressing Yemen’s need for renewable energy projects. 

Station inauguration ceremony (Saba news agency)

The project’s total area spans 1.6 million square meters east of Aden and features 211,584 solar panels.

It includes 12 medium voltage stations with a capacity of 8.75 volt-amperes, 26 high-voltage transmission towers with a capacity of 132 kilovolts, covering an area of 9 kilometers, and 360 solar inverters.

The station’s operation comes at the height of the electricity crisis that Aden and the governorates of South Yemen have been suffering from, driven by insufficient generating capacity and a fuel shortage.

Electric power stations in Aden currently rely on fossil fuels, leading to high fuel costs and multiple risks to the country’s ecosystem and environment.

Solar station equipment during work (local authority media)

It is hoped that moving away from expensive and polluting fossil fuels will provide a more sustainable energy solution for the region and pave the way for further renewable energy initiatives in the country, improving energy security and environmental sustainability.

The agreement to establish the solar station was signed in December 2022 between Yemen and the UAE.

The project encountered numerous obstacles, but PLC member Abdulrahman Al-Muharrami intervened to supervise to ensure completion.

According to the Yemeni Prime Minister, the station has the potential to expand its capacity to 600 megawatts.

Despite the project’s importance, Aden’s electrical generating capacity remains less than half of the demand, which reaches 750 megawatts during the hot season.