Sharjah National Oil Corporation and Emerge break ground on milestone solar plant

60MWp solar PV plant will be built and operated by Masdar and EDF JV, Emerge, under 25-year agreement; largest planned solar facility for Sharjah to date. 

Sharjah National Oil Corporation (SNOC), the oil and gas arm of Sharjah Government, has announced that it has broken ground on the emirate’s largest solar power plant. 

Located at SNOC’s Sajaa Gas Complex, the 60-megawatt peak (MWp) ground based solar photovoltaic (PV) will be developed and operated by Emerge, the joint venture between Abu Dhabi-headquartered Masdar and France’s EDF Group, under a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) agreement. The 25-year term includes financing, design, procurement, construction, operation, and maintenance of the solar modules.

Once commissioned, the plant is expected to generate enough clean energy to offset 66,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually, equivalent to taking more than 14,600 cars off the road each year. 

It will also support SNOC's decarbonisation efforts and is aligned with the UAE's Net-Zero 2050 strategy, which aims to transition to renewable energy and establish a more sustainable future for the entire region.

Commenting on the announcement, Hatem Al Mosa, Chief Executive Officer, SNOC said: “SNOC is happy to witness this significant milestone on its path to achieve net zero by 2032 across its own operations and to support the emirate of Sharjah’s sustainability agenda and commitment to protecting the environment."

Michel Abi Saab, General Manager for Emerge, remarked: “Our turnkey solutions offer businesses like SNOC the ability to transition towards a sustainable future without upfront costs. This project will empower SNOC to achieve its decarbonization goals, and also to secure a more cost-effective energy future for the emirate as a whole.”

The Sajaa project follows the December 2023 reveal of the MENA region’s first landfill-to-solar project, to be developed by BEEAH, Masdar and Sharjah Electricity, Water and Gas Authority (SEWA).

The project, which was announced during COP28 by His Excellency Abdullah Abdul Rahman Al Shamsi, Director-General, SEWA; Khaled Al Huraimel, Group CEO of BEEAH; and Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer, Masdar; plans to transform a capped landfill into a solar farm to advance circularity and sustainability goals while generating renewable energy. An innovation and learning centre will also feature for visitor education.