A Saudi Solar Park Becomes a Breeding Ground for Vulnerable Sand Gazelles
A 250-megawatt plant in a Red Sea-region reserve is hosting a gazelle herd, with the first calves expected in December.
A working solar farm in Saudi Arabia is doing double duty: it powers a resort destination and shelters a growing herd of sand gazelles. The 250-megawatt plant sits inside the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve, and its operators say the project, called ReWildingVoltaics, is among the first to aim at endangered-species recovery inside an operating solar facility, PV Tech reports.
How it works
The 505-hectare plant is run by the Amaala Sustainable Company for Energy, a joint venture of EDF Group, Masdar, SUEZ and Korea East-West Power, and supplies electricity to the AMAALA destination. A seven-month proof of concept began in October 2025. In May 2026, 38 sand gazelles were introduced for breeding.
- Space: about 73% of the site is open to the animals, including habitat beneath the panels.
- Comfort: ground temperatures under the panels are 5 to 10°C lower than in full sun.
- Safety: a predator-proof fence and a specialist ranger team protect and monitor the herd.
- Timeline: the first offspring are expected by December 2026.
Why it matters
The sand gazelle is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, and only about 3,000 are believed to survive across the Arabian Peninsula and Türkiye. The reserve's modelling projects the herd could reach around 600 by 2031. Managers consider 500 animals the minimum before a population can be considered for release into the wider 24,500-square-kilometre reserve.
"This initiative demonstrates how renewable energy infrastructure can create value beyond the clean electricity it generates." — Omar AlDaweesh, EDF Group
Context
The herd-growth figures are the reserve's own projections, not results yet. Breeding in a solar installation is new ground, so the real test will be whether calves are born and thrive. If it works, it could offer a template for other solar sites in dry regions.
