At the request of the Yemeni government,UAE-based energy firm Global South Utilities(GSU)completed the handover of two photovoltaic power plants in Yemen in January 2026.To protect asset security,the company withdrew its full local operation and maintenance team and suspended all under-development renewable energy projects,marking its effective exit from the Yemeni market.
As part of the handover,the 120MW Aden and 53MW Shabwa photovoltaic power plants were transferred to Yemen’s Public Electricity Corporation for centralised management.Both facilities were operating at full capacity and in normal working order at the time of transfer.
It is worth noting that GSU’s existing project pipeline in Yemen had already stalled prior to this withdrawal.In November 2025,the company announced a new energy investment plan for Yemen worth approximately one billion US dollars.This plan covered solar and wind power,as well as energy storage and distribution network development,and was to be implemented across 13 projects in six Yemeni provinces,with a total planned installed capacity of more than 1GW.Phase I of the 120MW Aden photovoltaic project was commissioned in 2025,and Phase II was originally set to begin commercial operation in 2026.This expansion,alongside other projects,has now been halted.
The suspended projects specifically include the 40MW Al-Mokha Phase II project,which was 85%complete;the 10MW Al-Khokha project,which was 80%complete;the 10MW Hays project,which was 75%complete;the 10MW Socotra project,which was 35%complete and in the civil construction and procurement phase;and the 120MW Aden expansion project,which was 35%complete and also in the civil construction and procurement phase.