Energy Minister Abdul-Hussain Mirza said Bahrain was launching a pioneering solar project in Awali, seeking to rely solely on solar energy to power up the city. \"It could lead to Bahrain building a factory to manufacture solar energy equipment,\" Mirza said. The project will be powered by a 5 megawatt solar power station that will be set up in the next nine months, the Gulf Daily News reported. Bahrain partnered on this project with American-based Petra Solar, the Bahrain Post said.