SNOC officials and dignitaries lay the cornerstone for the solar power plant.

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The Sharjah National Oil Corporation (SNOC), the oil and gas industry executive arm of the emirate of Sharjah in the UAE, announced on Monday that it broke ground on the emirate's largest solar power plant.

The 60MWp ground-mounted solar photo-voltaic ( PV) plant, located at SNOC's Sajaa Gas Complex, will be developed and operated by Emerge, a joint venture between Masdar and the EDF Group, for 25 years under a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) agreement, SNOC said in a press statement.

The plant is expected to offset 66,000 tonnes CO2 emissions annually, equivalent to taking over 14,600 cars off the road each year.

SNOC Chief Executive Officer Hatem Al Mosa 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, Emerge General Manager, added: “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 decarbonisation goals, and also to secure a more cost-effective energy future for the Emirate as a whole. We look forward to its successful completion.”