Sudair solar park is one of the recently implemented projects; after its completion, the installed capacity of photovoltaic panels in Saudi Arabia grew from 1.2 up 2.7 GW). The announced and planned projects will allow the Kingdom to bring the total solar generating capacities up to 20 GW. The national regulators plan to increase this metric up to 58 GW, and in such case the RES share in the national power generation mix will exceed 50% (vs 2% in 2023). So far, CHPPs play the key role in the power generating industry of Saudi Arabia, they are fired not only by gas and fuel oil, but by crude oil as well.
The UAE plans to increase the installed capacity of solar power plants by 2030 from 6 GW up to 14 GW. The construction of MBR (Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum) solar park will play a critical role here. Its budget is USD 14 bn: the target for 2030 is 5 GW, which is comparable to the overall net capacity of Baraka NPP, the fourth reactor of which was connected to the grid in March 2024. In its turn, Oman intends to build up RES capacities – including solar panels – from 700 MW in 2023 up to 3 GW in 2025 and 4.5 GW. It will, among other things, provide for power supply to hydrogen-producing electrolysers, as Oman plans to become the global leader in exporting hydrogen.
The high average annual number of clear days in the region, and the reduction of technological costs over the recent decade are the main factors contributing to solar generation in the Middle East. According to IRENA, the average global cost of commissioning solar panels decreased by 83% during the period between 2010 and 2022 (from USD 5,124 down to USD 876 per 1 KW of capacity), and the average cost of power generation – by 89% (from USD 0.445 down to USD 0.049 per 1 KW-h).
