Bahrain joins Gulf’s late movers in the solar race with 150 MW project
If completed on schedule, the Bilaj Al Jazayer solar plant would more than double the kingdom’s total installed renewable capacity, which stood at just 69 MW in 2024.
Bahrain launched a tender for a 150 megawatt solar power project on Sunday, marking a major step toward expanding its renewable energy capacity and diversifying its gas-dependent power mix.
The move could more than double the kingdom’s installed renewables base and comes as Bahrain’s first major solar venture — a 100 MW project — is under construction. It also signals newfound momentum among the Gulf’s slower movers on clean energy, with Kuwait having opened its own large-scale solar tender just weeks earlier.
Details: The new project tendered by Bahrain’s Electricity and Water Authority is for the Bilaj Al Jazayer Independent Power Project photovoltaic facility in southern Bahrain, which is to be developed on a public–private partnership basis under a build-own-operate model.
The EWA hopes the project will be ready to begin commercial operations by the third quarter of 2027, with bids due by Dec. 28, 2025. According to the kingdom’s official Bahrain News Agency, the solar plant is expected to provide electricity for around 6,300 homes and cut carbon emissions by over 100,000 tonnes annually.
