The 800-megawatt Al Kharsaah photovoltaic power station in Qatar Photo: PowerChina

 Energy has become an important area of cooperation between China and Arab countries, a spokesperson of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said during a routine press conference on Monday.

Mao Ning, the spokesperson, cited the example of a China-built photovoltaic (PV) power station in Qatar, which is helping the nation fulfill its promise of holding a carbon-neutral World Cup.

According to Mao, the Al Kharsaah photovoltaic power station is Qatar's first non-fossil fuel power station and a key project for the country to push the Qatar National Vision 2030, a roadmap toward turning Qatar into an advanced society capable of sustainable development.

The power station, which opened on October 1, cost $417 million and was undertaken by a joint venture company formed by three Chinese enterprises, a report from CGTN noted.

The project can meet 10 percent of Qatar's peak power demand, and largely increase the proportion of renewable energy in Qatar's energy consumption.

Being the organizer of the FIFA World Cup 2022, Qatar promised to host the first carbon-neutral World Cup.

The power station is one example of China's cooperation with Qatar as well as other Arab countries in the field of energy. For example, 888 electric buses made by China's leading bus producer Yutong were shipped to Qatar to serve this year's World Cup, according to media reports.

Mao disclosed that the Al Dhafra PV2 solar project, which is located in Abu Dhabi and is the world's largest single-site PV plant, has realized grid-connected power generation.

The plant, built under contract with the China Machinery Engineering Corp, can help Abu Dhabi avoid about 2.4 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year.

"Energy has become an important area of cooperation between China and Arab countries. From traditional energy to clean energy, and the low-carbon economy and the energy transition, China-Arab energy cooperation has huge potential," Mao noted.

Mao said that China is willing to make joint efforts with Arab countries to continuously deepen cooperation in relevant fields and bring more benefits to the Chinese and Arab people.

QatarEnergy recently signed a 27-year deal to supply China's Sinopec with liquefied natural gas in the longest such agreement to date.

Wei Jianguo, former Chinese vice minister of commerce and executive deputy director of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, said that many Gulf states are no longer satisfied with just having economic and trade cooperation with China, and they are ready to talk with China on issues like yuan-denominated oil deals and how to address the global energy crisis.

China and Arab nations will hold a summit in Saudi Arabia in early December, according to media reports.

"The joint holding of a meeting convened by the world's largest energy exporter and the largest consumer at a time when global energy prices are rising as a result of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, and when energy has become a chip in global competition, will exert a huge influence on global geopolitics," Wei told the Global Times.

Global Times