Solar Power: Ray of hope brightens Middle East’s least electrified nation

Yemen has unveiled the first large-scale solar power plant, which helps alleviate electricity shortages in the country, setting a positive example for other energy-deprived nations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Primarily, the project is funded by the United Arab Emirates and became operational in July 2024.

The Aden Solar Power Plant marks a significant transition towards renewable energy in a country that the International Energy Agency lists as the Middle East’s least electrified.

Meanwhile, Yemen has been grappling with almost 30 years of electricity crisis due to fuel shortages and a war that has caused significant damage to the national power infrastructure.

Located in the north of Aden, the interim seat of Yemen’s internationally reorganized government, the 120-megawatt plant supplies electricity to between 150,000 and 170,000 homes daily.

Mubarak Qaid, who operates a supermarket in the city, said, “Power outages used to cause damage to goods, and if we returned the damaged items to the suppliers, they would not accept them, and ultimately leave us the merchants to bear the loss.”

It has been observed that solar energy represented only 10% of Yemen’s total electricity generation in 2023.

It is expected to rise with a second round of the Aden Solar Power Plant planned for 2026 to double its capacity.