Middle East Business

An 11.4 megawatt rooftop array now covers Khalifa Bin Salman Port's own electricity demand

By Staff Writer  |  6 September 2026

The operator of Bahrain's container terminal says 26,960 panels across nearly 71,000 square metres of warehouse roof generate around 18 gigawatt hours a year, and that the terminal's carbon footprint fell by 71 per cent during 2025.

APM Terminals Bahrain, the operator of Khalifa Bin Salman Port, has taken the regional Sustainable Institution award at the Gulf Green Mobility Forum 2026, held in Salalah in Oman. It was one of two awards taken by Bahrain at the event. The operator announced the award on 5 September 2026 and attributes it principally to a solar installation it has completed across the port's warehouse roofs.

The installation cost approximately BD3.8 million. The operator puts it at approximately 26,960 panels laid across nearly 71,000 square metres of warehouse rooftop, with a generating capacity of up to 11.4 megawatts. It states annual output at around 18 gigawatt hours, which it says is enough to cover the port's electricity needs in full, and it attributes a reduction of 71 per cent in the terminal's carbon footprint during 2025 to the change.

We are delighted and honoured to witness this new milestone for Bahrain as Khalifa bin Salman Port receives the 'Sustainable Institution' award at the GCC level, a recognition we deeply cherish that reflects the fruit of our unwavering commitment to reducing the environmental impact of our operations.

Matthew Luckhurst, Managing Director of APM Terminals Bahrain

What the numbers describe

A capacity of 11.4 megawatts running for a full year would produce close to 99.9 gigawatt hours, so a stated output of around 18 gigawatt hours puts the array at about 18 per cent of its nameplate rating. That is the ordinary result for fixed rooftop photovoltaics once night, weather, soiling and conversion losses are taken off, and it is worth stating because a capacity figure on its own tells a reader very little. The further point is that covering the port's electricity needs is an annual balance rather than a statement that the terminal runs off its own roofs at every hour. A container terminal draws power around the clock, and refrigerated container stacks draw most when it is hottest, so the hours of highest demand and highest generation only partly coincide.

Retrofitting generation to an operating terminal is a live site problem before it is an energy one. Roof loadings, the warranty position on existing roof coverings, access for cleaning in a dusty coastal setting, and the division of responsibility between the installer and the terminal operator for anything that leaks afterwards all sit in the contract rather than in the output figures. Anyone pricing similar work should establish who carries the roof, and for how long, before agreeing a programme.

Why it reaches beyond one port

Warehouse and terminal roofs are the largest uninterrupted surfaces most operators control, and they are already built. That makes them the cheapest square metres available for generation, and it explains why port authorities across the region are looking at the same asset. For contractors and consultants the work is unglamorous and specific: structural checks on roofs that were never designed to carry an array, penetrations through an existing membrane, cable routes across an operational yard, and a connection agreement with the network operator.

The operator says the installation is part of a wider plan to decarbonise port operations, which includes expanding the electrification of operational equipment and vehicles. It records a group commitment to net zero emissions by 2040.

What has not been stated

No contractor or installer has been named, and no completion date for the array has been given. The BD3.8 million figure has not been broken down, and the operator has not said whether it covers design and installation alone or includes connection and grid works. The 71 per cent reduction is stated for 2025 without a stated baseline year or a stated method of measurement, so it cannot be compared with a figure calculated on another basis. Nor has the operator said whether it owns the array or takes the output under a purchase arrangement with a third party, which is the point that would decide who carries the performance risk over its life.