The world's longest causeway, the 40km Qatar-Bahrain Causeway, is considering a number of ways to make the project sustainable, planners say. Wind turbines are being considered to power the bridge's day-to-day electricity needs when it is completed around 2015, including the energy demands of a funky neon display planned for the central span, according to this artist's impression.
"For the operation of the bridge, there are real opportunities to have sustainable ideas and sustainable technologies," says Heimo Gold, the deputy project director for the Qatar-Bahrain Causeway Consortium. "One of the things we are already considering is wind power to produce energy for the lighting of the bridge."
Mr Gold said the available wind in the Gulf was enough to make this project potentially viable. In addition to wind, planners say solar power could be used to power the camps where construction workers are based.
This is clearly good news that GCC countries are thinking along these lines. One hopes it will go a long ways towards promoting renewable energy in the Gulf, where so much black gold still lies deep underground.
