The Government pays BD300 million subsidy on power a year. The production cost for the one unit of electricity is about 25 fils and being supplied to end consumers at three fils per unit, the State Minister for Electricity and Water said.
State Minister for Electricity and Water, Dr Abdulhussein bin Ali Mirza, addressing roundtable of Japan Cooperation Centre for the Middle East (JCCME) titled “Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Improvement” held at the Diplomat Radisson Hotel said Bahrain is keen in diversifying its energy resources by taking combination of renewable energy and energy efficiency steps.
“Bahrain will continue to pursue renewable energy resources as part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. We have already two pilot projects ongoing with total capacity of 10 Mw or five mega watt each. The pilot projects are combination of both wind and solar energy and this model project will open up the new avenues for the Kingdom of Bahrain to shift its focus towards renewable, clean and efficient energy resources.
“Bahrain and Japan enjoy very strong fraternal relations and the recent visit by His Majesty the King the co-operation entered into a new era of co-operation and we want to seize every opportunity which can help both the sides,” Minister added.
Organised by the Embassy of Japan in Bahrain in co-operation with the Japanese Cooperation Centre for the Middle East (JCCME); the round table saw two technical presentations conducted by the National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA) and the Ministry of Electricity and Water.
The Japanese Ambassador to Bahrain Shigeki Sumi highlighted the importance of the existing ties between Bahrain and Japan by highlighting the existing huge potential including the renewable energy, and energy efficient sectors.
“In Japan there are many ways to generate power and now the more focus is on renewable, clean and efficient energy and Japan has been running many successful solar energy projects,” Ambassador Shigeki Sumi told the roundtable.