MANAMA: A 34-year-old renewable energy provider plans to invest $150 million in Bahrain over the next 18 months as it deploys its “proven technology solutions” across the country.
Set up in New Zealand in 1988, Pavilion Renewables Group moved its global headquarters to Bahrain in 2017 with a vision to deliver a renewable future to the kingdom.
It then launched a pilot project at Salman City as a unique model of circular economy.
“Utilising solar panels, patented vertical-axis wind turbines, battery storage and water treatment systems, Pavilion has transformed a barren wasteland into an oasis of agriculture and wildlife,” the group’s executive chairman Ian Roos told the media during a tour of the site yesterday.
Build with the support of the government to demonstrate the benefits and viability of recycling and renewables in the country, the test site has shown how clean energy can be generated by harnessing wind and solar power through turbines and solar panels and that hybrid renewable energy systems can be used for water desalination, he added.
The energy generated is used for agriculture and fish farming resulting in a fully-sustainable and environmentally-friendly yield.
Local crops are grown organically using aquaponics and by controlling the internal climate of the ‘geo-dome’ to ensure optimal growth conditions.
Waste is also recycled and used to produce energy.
The company has already invested $10m in developing the test site and two other manufacturing facilities in Hidd, with a 130-member team that includes 52 Bahrainis, already at work.
“We slowed down a bit due to Covid-19 and now we want to accelerate having proven our capabilities. We will invest $150m in Bahrain over the next 18 months in delivering innovative solutions that not only reduce carbon emissions but contribute effectively to sustainable development,” Mr Roos further said.
Also present during the tour was the group managing director Isa Al Doseri who said the manufacturing facilities in Hidd cover an area of 6,500sqm.
“In the past 12 months, our workforce has grown by 200 per cent and is expected to grow by another 50pc over the next 12 months. We rely on systems and technologies made in Bahrain, affirming the vital role the kingdom now plays in protecting the planet’s sustainability for future generations,” Mr Al Doseri added.
avinash@gdnmedia.bh
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