Yemen’s Aden Solar Plant Brings Relief in Nation’s Deepening Power Crisis

Yemen’s Aden Solar Plant Brings Relief in Nation’s Deepening Power Crisis
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Yemen’s first large-scale solar power facility is beginning to ease the country’s long-standing electricity shortage, offering a modest reprieve to households and businesses in one of the Middle East’s least electrified nations, according to Arab News,.

The Aden Solar Power Plant, backed by the United Arab Emirates and operational since July 2024, is supplying electricity to 150,000 to 170,000 homes daily.

Yemen has endured nearly three decades of energy disruption, exacerbated by persistent fuel shortages and damage to the national grid amid ongoing conflict. Solar energy made up only 10.4 percent of Yemen’s total power generation in 2023.

The newly installed 120-megawatt plant is situated north of Aden, the interim seat of Yemen’s internationally recognized government. While it does not solve the entire energy crisis, it marks a significant step toward renewable alternatives and increased local resilience.

Looking ahead, the project’s second phase — planned for 2026 — aims to double its capacity, potentially expanding its coverage and impact.

For many in southern Yemen, the new power supply is already reducing losses in businesses and improving daily life. “Power outages used to cause damage to goods … leaving us, the merchants, to bear the loss,” said one local shop owner.

Though challenges remain across the country’s broader infrastructure and conflict zones, the plant offers a rare glimmer of hope for energy security in Yemen’s most electrified regions.