Sharjah Debuts 60-MWp Solar Park to Decarbonize Sajaa Gas Plant

• Sharjah launches “SANA,” a 60 MWp solar park by SNOC and Emerge that powers the Sajaa gas plant, trims 66k t CO₂ yearly, and advances UAE clean-energy goals.

On 26 June 2025, Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi pressed the start button on SANA, a 60-megawatt-peak solar farm stretched across nearly 85 hectares of desert next to the Sajaa Gas Plant. From dawn till dusk, rows of bifacial panels ride single-axis trackers, soaking up sunshine and feeding every watt straight into the processing complex; whatever the plant doesn’t sip rolls into Sharjah’s public grid.

The project came together under a 25-year build-own-operate-transfer deal. Emerge—the Masdar–EDF joint venture—financed, built, and now runs the site in partnership with Sharjah National Oil Corporation (SNOC). After a quarter-century, ownership shifts to the emirate, handing over a mature asset rather than a science project.

The climate payoff is immediate: roughly 66 thousand tonnes of carbon dioxide scrubbed from the ledger each year, equal to parking about 14 thousand cars for good. Strategically, the farm chips away at Sharjah’s dependence on imported power and natural-gas turbines while nudging the UAE closer to its goal of making 44 percent of its generating capacity carbon-free by 2050.

Perhaps the most telling figure is the timeline. Ground broke only 18 months ago—proof that, when the Gulf commits to clean power, the pace can rival its record-setting skyscrapers. Expect copy-and-paste versions of this solar-plus-gas formula to pop up across the region soon.