QatarEnergy launched two major solar projects totaling 875 MW in Ras Laffan and Mesaieed, more than doubling the country’s installed solar capacity. Minister of State for Energy Affairs Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi highlighted the shift to using local expertise in solar project execution. The combined solar output from these and other projects is expected to meet 30% of Qatar’s electricity demand by 2029.

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority raised its 2030 renewable energy target for the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Solar Park by 45%, aiming for 7,260 MW of installed capacity. So far, 3,460 MW of capacity has been commissioned. The 1,800 MW capacity sixth phase is under construction, and the upcoming seventh phase includes a 1,600 MW solar project and a 1,000 MW battery energy storage system (BESS). The project has an investment of AED50 billion (~$13.6 billion).

China’s BYD Energy Storage began shipping the first batch of its 12.5 GWh grid-scale BESS to Saudi Arabia. On April 27, 2025, the company’s 120 MC Cube-T BESS cabinets departed from Guangxi’s Beibu Gulf Port as part of a larger deployment of 2,364 cabinets. The project follows a contract signed in January 2025 with the Saudi Electricity Company for full design, installation, supervision, and maintenance of the BESS.

Norwegian company Scatec ASA started construction on the 1.1 GW Obelisk solar project and a 100 MW/200 MWh battery storage facility in Egypt. The first phase (561 MW solar + battery) is expected to be operational by mid-2026, with the second phase (564 MW) by year-end. Scatec ASA signed a 25-year power purchase agreement with the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company. It also secured equity bridge loans worth $120 million and plans to finalize long-term project financing and equity partnerships soon.

Saudi Arabia-based ACWA Power aims to add 700 MW to 800 MW of renewable capacity in China by the end of 2025. Following a December 2024 agreement for 1 GW capacity, 233 MW of projects are already underway in partnership with Sungrow Renewables. ACWA Power is also bidding for a 2.7 GW cogeneration facility in Kuwait and progressing with gigaprojects in Saudi Arabia.