Bahrain International Circuit, in coordination with the Kingdom’s Sustainable Energy Authority (SEA), has announced the launch of tenders for a major solar plant to be developed with the home of Bahrain’s F1 Grand Prix.

A Request for Proposal (RfP) was issued recently by SEA for the grid-tied solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant, which will have a minimum capacity of 3MWac. It will be installed as car park shades at the BIC, the authority added.

SEA said that it is inviting companies to develop the solar project on a Build, Own, Operate and Maintain (BOOM) model for a 20-year contract period.

According to BIC officials, the new project is expected to deliver enough energy to power the entire Formula 1 race weekend. They added that the project supports the Kingdom’s commitment to increase the use of renewable energy, as well as Formula 1’s own plans to have net-zero carbon emissions by 2030.

Furthermore, the project will help reduce the venue’s carbon footprint and generate significant savings on overall energy cost, they said.

BIC Chief Operating Officer Fayez Ramzy Fayez said: “The launch of the tender is an important milestone for our solar project, and we are inviting qualified organisations from across the globe to submit their proposals for this landmark initiative.”

“Together with the SEA, we look forward to working through the phases of this project for delivery by early next year,” he added.

The last date for submitting the bids has been set at June 9 and the construction work is likely to begin later this year, officials said.