Pakistan gas field powered by 10 MW off-grid solar system

• Italian oil and gas company Eni has completed a solar park at its Bhit Gas Field. The plant, which took six months to build, is integrated into the field’s generation system.

Italian oil and gas company Eni has completed the 10 MW solar project at its Pakistan gas field which was announced in March.

The off-grid project was built near the Bhit Gas Field which is 180km north of Karachi in the Kirthar region, and in which Eni New Energy Pakistan holds a 40% stake. The solar plant is integrated with the gas field’s power generation systems and is expected to generate around 20 GWh per year.

The solar asset helps optimize operating costs by switching off one of the gas turbines, the company said, adding it will also reduce emissions of CO2 by around 144,000 tons per year.

The company said the project was completed within six months of an investment decision being made.

A similar project is being built by Eni in Tunisia with state-owned oil company Entreprise Tunisienne d’Activités Pétrolières and is scheduled for completion this year. That 5 MW plant is being built by the fossil fuel company’s Eni Tunisia BV subsidiary at the Adam oil concession in which it holds a 25% stake.

Eni this month announced a 50 MW solar project in Namibe province, in southwestern Angola, in partnership with state-owned fossil fuel producer Sonangol. The province contains significant unexploited hydrocarbon resources. In July, the Angolan government announced its intent to auction nine oil blocks in the waters of the Namibe Basin.