Spanish energy company Gestamp Solar has said its $28m solar power plant for Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) will be completed by the middle of 2015.

The contract involves the engineering, construction, operation and maintenance of the first utility-scale photovoltaic plant in Kuwait.

The facility will form part of an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) system at the Umm Gudair oil field, supplying energy to facilitate the removal of crude by heating water and creating steam that will be injected into the wells, reducing the oil’s viscosity.

Gestamp Solar was originally selected by KOC for the contract in July. It is the company’s first project in the Middle East.

The facility will have a peak power of 10MW, with more than 32,000 modules and 12 transformation centres, according to a statement released on 2 October.

Gestamp Solar has estimated that the annual production will be 17,600 megawatt hours (MWh) a year and it will save 9,100 tonnes in carbon dioxide (CO2)emissions.

Historically, steam injection techniques have used natural gas as fuel.

The project was tendered amid a natural gas shortage in Kuwait and comes as the country seeks to produce 15 per cent of its energy from renewables by 2030.

In 2013, Kuwait consumed 2.2 billion cubic metres of natural gas more than it produced, according to an annual statistical review by the UK’s BP.