ASRY Eyes Energy Leadership

TDT | Manama

Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

ASRY’s CEO has confirmed that the company’s solar project is not only designed to power its shipyard but is also built in a way that can feed into Bahrain’s national grid, depending on the Electricity and Water Authority’s strategy. He said this grid-ready design is part of a wider transformation plan that will see Bahrain emerge as a regional leader in renewable maritime energy.

Dr Ahmed Al-Abri told The Daily Tribune that the first phase of the project would be completed within a year, with the second phase taking an additional year. “Phase one is going to take a maximum one year, and phase two another year. It doesn’t mean phase one has to complete before phase two. They might open it earlier,” the CEO of Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard Company (ASRY) said.

Grid ambitions

“Our aim is to be 100% green, because that’s very important in the shipping world,” Dr AlAbri said. He explained that the project was designed to supply ASRY’s full internal electricity needs but has also been engineered so that it “will actually feed into the national grid” if required. The final decision, he noted, rests with EWA.

Regional leadership

“Bahrain is on track to be the regional leader,” Dr Al-Abri stressed, citing the government’s clear policies and industrial commitment to reducing carbon emissions. Similar efforts are visible in global ports such as Rotterdam and Singapore, where authorities are actively working to integrate renewable energy into their shipping sectors.

Vision 2030 transformation

ASRY’s shift to clean energy is closely linked with a broader diversification strategy for the years ahead. “What’s happening with us during the five coming years will be transformation,” Dr Al-Abri said. He outlined expansions beyond ship repair and shipbuilding into logistics, port services, and industrial support for onshore projects. Clean energy, he added, is “one step in a long path leading us to 2030, where ASRY as we know it today will be far more diversified but within the maritime sector.”

The project will eventually generate more than 71 million kilowatt-hours annually after phase two, allowing ASRY to strive toward its target of becoming fully powered by renewable energy.

For ASRY, the solar venture marks a turning point, the beginning of a broader transformation aimed at strengthening Bahrain’s role as a leader in maritime-focused green energy across the Gulf.