Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi and Gnel Sanosyan at the signing ceremony in Yerevan. Photo: Masdar
Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi and Gnel Sanosyan at the signing ceremony in Yerevan. Photo: Masdar
Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi and Gnel Sanosyan at the signing ceremony in Yerevan. Photo: Masdar
Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi and Gnel Sanosyan at the signing ceremony in Yerevan. Photo: Masdar

Abu Dhabi's Masdar to develop Armenia’s largest solar power plant


Alvin R Cabral
  • English
  • Arabic

Masdar, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi's Mubadala Investment Company, signed an agreement with the government of Armenia to develop a 200-megawatt solar photovoltaic plant, which will be the West Asian nation's largest utility-scale solar facility.

The Ayg-1 project will be developed on a design, finance, build, own and operate basis and will be 85 per cent owned by Masdar, with the state-owned Armenian National Interests Fund holding 15 per cent. The plant will span over five square kilometres and create several direct and indirect jobs.

The agreement was signed on Friday by Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, chief executive of Masdar, and Armenia's Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Gnel Sanosyan in the capital Yerevan.

“This agreement marks a milestone on Armenia’s clean energy journey and the development of this project will support the nation’s sustainable economic development,” Mr Al Ramahi said in a statement.

“We look forward to working with the Armenian National Interests Fund on further opportunities in this field and leveraging the experience we have gained as a global leader in renewable energy projects to support the diversification of Armenia’s energy mix.”

Masdar — named Energy Company of the Year for the third time at this week's Gulf Business Awards 2021 — has more than doubled the capacity of its renewable energy portfolio in two years. It is now investing in or committed to projects with a total generation capacity of at least 13 gigawatts.

Aiming to strengthen the UAE’s position as a world leader in green energy, it operates in over 35 countries with a total investment of about $20 billion and is looking to develop new projects in Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Taiwan.

The company, rated A2 and A+ by Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings, respectively, is also considering new opportunities in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.

Armenia is looking to increase the share of renewables in its energy mix and reduce its dependence on imported oil and gas. The country also has significant solar energy potential, with an average annual solar energy flow per square metre of horizontal surface of about 1,720 kilowatt hours, compared with the average European figure of 1,000kWh.

In July, the Armenian government announced that Masdar was the winning bidder for the project, submitting a tariff of $0.0290 per kWh in a competitive process.

“The gradual increase of renewable sources in our country's energy system is one of the priorities set by the government of Armenia,” Mr Sanosyan said.

“We regard this co-operation with Masdar as an important step towards this goal as well as towards endorsing Armenia's investment potential.”

This agreement marks a milestone on Armenia’s clean energy journey and the development of this project will support the nation’s sustainable economic development
Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi,
chief executive of Masdar

He added that the signing marks the start of a “fruitful and lasting co-operation” between Masdar and Armenia for more projects in the future.

“The UAE and Armenia are united in our commitment to take positive action against climate change while creating greater economic opportunities, and this project marks a key stage in Armenia’s clean energy journey and our hopes for this project to serve as an exemplary success to attract opportunities for Armenia from the UAE,” Ahlam Rashid Ahmed Al Abd Al Salami, chargé d’affaires of the UAE embassy in Armenia.

In October, Masdar and Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity and National Investment Commission signed an agreement that implements the first phase of solar projects that will boost the country's goal of generating 20-25 per cent of its energy from renewables, equivalent to 10-12 gigawatts by 2030.

The agreement, a sign of strengthening ties with the UAE under the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi, will build power stations in five locations across Iraq that will generate 1GW. The second phase of the agreement will add another 1GW of capacity.

In August, Masdar inaugurated Uzbekistan's 100MW Nur Navoi solar plant, the country's first project to be developed on the basis of an independent power producer model, which will be able to power 31,000 households and offset 150,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide on an annual basis.

ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

GOLF’S RAHMBO

- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick

Hometown: Cologne, Germany

Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)

Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes

Favourite hobby: Football

Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

OPTA'S PREDICTED TABLE

1. Liverpool 101 points

2. Manchester City 80 

3. Leicester 67

4. Chelsea 63

5. Manchester United 61

6. Tottenham 58

7. Wolves 56

8. Arsenal 56

9. Sheffield United 55

10. Everton 50

11. Burnley 49

12. Crystal Palace 49

13. Newcastle 46

14. Southampton 44

15. West Ham 39

16. Brighton 37

17. Watford 36

18. Bournemouth 36

19. Aston Villa 32

20. Norwich City 29

 

 

 

 

 

 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

Kill%20
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What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

Gothia Cup 2025

4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

Bib%20Gourmand%20restaurants
%3Cp%3EAl%20Khayma%0D%3Cbr%3EBait%20Maryam%0D%3Cbr%3EBrasserie%20Boulud%0D%3Cbr%3EFi'lia%0D%3Cbr%3Efolly%0D%3Cbr%3EGoldfish%0D%3Cbr%3EIbn%20AlBahr%0D%3Cbr%3EIndya%20by%20Vineet%0D%3Cbr%3EKinoya%0D%3Cbr%3ENinive%0D%3Cbr%3EOrfali%20Bros%0D%3Cbr%3EReif%20Japanese%20Kushiyaki%0D%3Cbr%3EShabestan%0D%3Cbr%3ETeible%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKinetic%207%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202018%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rick%20Parish%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Clean%20cooking%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self-funded%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

THREE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Updated: November 27, 2021, 5:36 AM`