Qatar is fast-tracking utility-scale solar PV projects to more than double the renewable energy share of the country’s total power capacity, diversify its power mix and reduce domestic gas consumption for power generation, according to London-based GlobalData.
The share of renewable energy in the Gulf state’s total power capacity will increase from 12 percent in 2025 to 25.9 percent by 2035, the data analytics firm said in a report.
Qatar’s installed power capacity will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.2 percent between 2025 and 2035. Solar PV will be the primary growth engine, expanding at a CAGR of 12.4 percent over the decade.
Attaurrahman Ojindaram Saibasan, Power Analyst at GlobalData, said that Qatar’s power sector is shifting from total reliance on natural gas toward a structured hybrid model.
“Driven by the Qatar National Renewable Energy Strategy, the build-out of major solar facilities such as Al Kharsaah and the recently commissioned plants at Ras Laffan and Mesaieed, alongside the large-scale Dukhan development demonstrate substantial momentum in deploying low-cost clean generation across the peninsula.”
Despite rapid solar growth, natural gas will remain indispensable to the country’s power and water infrastructure. Combined-cycle gas turbines and cogeneration plants underpin the country’s Independent Water and Power Project (IWPP) fleet, providing both dispatchable power for extreme summer cooling loads and thermal energy for seawater desalination.
Natural gas capacity will continue to expand in absolute terms, accounting for about 74 percent of cumulative capacity in 2035.
Saibasan said gas-fired IWPP facilities provide critical firming capacity to absorb large influxes of solar energy during midday hours, while securing base load water desalination.
Expanding flexible gas generation and modernising grid management are essential prerequisites for accommodating the planned 4 gigawatt (GW) renewable target by 2030 without compromising system security, he added.
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