Emirati investor reveals plans for 500 MW of solar in Libya

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Abu Dhabi-based investor Alpha Dhabi Holding has signed up to develop 500 MW of solar capacity in Libya, as the North African nation attempts to get its renewables ambitions back on track.

State-owned General Electricity Co. of Libya (Gecol) announced plans this earlier month for France's TotalEnergies to develop a 500 MW solar field in the country. This week, Gecol said it has also signed a memorandum of understanding for Alpha Dhabi to construct and operate an initial 500 MW of 2 GW of solar in the nation.

Separately, the Emirates News Agency reported this week that the projects would have 25-year lifetimes, but it did not provide a timeline or indicate where the Alpha Dhabi solar capacity would be developed. Under the terms of the agreement, the Libyan government will purchase the solar power generated by the Alpha Dhabi sites.

Alpha Dhabi owns businesses in the fields of construction, industry, health care, and hospitality, according to its website. Gecol, meanwhile, has around 9 GW of power generating capacity, including 16 oil and gas plants. However, only 2% of its fleet is devoted to clean energy.

Libya's General National Congress envisaged 300 MW of solar by 2020 and 450 MW by 2025 under its 2013-25 strategic plan for renewables, plus concentrating solar power capacity. The nation aims to source 22% of its electricity from renewables by 2030. However, the International Renewable Energy Agency estimated that the country had just 6 MW of solar at the end of 2021, with 5 MW in place since 2012.

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