Chinese-built solar project makes World Cup greener

Since a capacity crowd cheered at the opening on Nov 20 of the 2022 FIFA World Cup at the brilliantly lighted Al Bayt Stadium in Doha, the capital of Qatar, a stable supply of clean power from a photovoltaic power station built by a Chinese company has been contributing to the global sporting event, providing a major green legacy.

The 800-megawatt Al Kharsaah photovoltaic power station, Qatar's first nonfossil-fuel power station, was independently built by Power-China Guizhou Engineering Co.

The station was put into operation in mid-October, significantly increasing the share of renewables in the soccer event's energy consumption mix and helping Qatar's commitment to host a carbon-neutral World Cup, according to the company.

"The carbon savings from the project will be used to offset about half of the emissions generated during the World Cup," said Wei Yujin, vice-manager of the project. "It is expected to provide about 1.8 billion kilowatt-hours of clean electricity to Qatar every year, which can meet the power demand from 300,000 families in Qatar."