Aden (South24 Center)

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Presidential Leadership Council member and Southern Transitional Council President Aidrous Al-Zubaidi on Thursday (August 28) inaugurated the official start of operations at a new 53-megawatt solar power station in Shabwa governorate, after months of construction carried out with funding and support from the United Arab Emirates. 

The Shabwa Solar Power Station, June 18, 2025 (South24 Center)

The ceremony was attended by UAE Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Hamad Al-Zaabi, Yemen's Minister of Electricity, the Governor of Shabwa, and other local officials.

The plant, located northwest of Ataq city, was built on a 600,000-square-meter site and comprises more than 85,000 solar panels, 159 electrical inverters, a night storage system, six subsidiary conversion stations, and a 15-kilometer transmission line supported by 51 towers linking it to the main grid. 

Officials confirmed the facility has now begun supplying electricity to the local network, helping to alleviate Shabwa’s chronic shortfall where over 60% of daily demand remains unmet. The plant is expected to cover up to 80% of daytime demand and reduce reliance on costly and unreliable diesel generators.

Read more at: The Shabwa Solar Power Station Nears Completion

On the same day, Al-Zubaidi, accompanied by the Emirati delegation, also inaugurated the start of work on the second phase of the Aden Solar Power Station in Bir Ahmed.

Aden Solar Power Station (Photo provided by the Electricity Corporation to South24 Center)

The Aden plant, initially launched in July 2024 with UAE funding, is one of the country’s largest renewable energy projects, featuring around 211,000 solar panels spread across 1.6 million square meters and a peak output of 95 megawatts. The second phase, now under implementation, will add new capacity with night storage systems as part of a broader plan to expand the facility to 650 megawatts.

Read more at: Clean Transformation: The Aden Solar Power Station is a Future Glimpse of Hope

These projects come amid a prolonged electricity crisis across Aden, Hadramout, and other parts of South Yemen, which triggered widespread protests in May, June, and July.

 Officials and experts noted that the Emirati-backed solar projects in Shabwa and Aden represent strategic steps toward strengthening energy security in southern Yemen and demonstrate the feasibility of large-scale renewable energy initiatives in the country despite political and institutional challenges.