HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer inspects work progress at 4th & 5th phases of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), inspected the work progress at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world with a planned total capacity of 5,000 megawatts (MW) by 2030. The Solar Park’s projects constitute one of the key pillars of the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy to provide 100% of Dubai’s total power capacity from clean energy sources by 2050.

Al Tayer was briefed by Shuaa Energy 3 officials, on the progress made in the 2^nd and 3^rd projects of the 5^th phase of the solar park. Waleed Bin Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Excellence at DEWA, and the project’s team were present. DEWA is implementing the 5^th phase in partnership with a consortium led by ACWA Power and Gulf Investment Corporation using the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model. In 2019 DEWA achieved a world record by receiving the lowest bid of USD1.6953 cents per kilowatt hour (Levelised Cost of Energy) for this phase.  The fifth phase will be implemented by Shuaa Energy 3, established by DEWA which owns 60% of the shares and the consortium led by ACWA Power and Gulf Investment Corporation which owns 40% of the rest of the shares.

Work in the 900MW 5^th phase with investments totaling AED 2.058 billion is progressing as planned. The 2^nd project is 93.3% complete while the 3^rd project is 23.06% complete.

The 5^th phase is being implemented using the latest solar photovoltaic bifacial technologies, which allows solar radiation to reach the front and back of the panels, with single-axis tracking to increase generation. Using fully automated robots to clean the solar panels without any human intervention, will increase efficiency. Since its commercial operations last year, the 1^st project whose production capacity has increased from 300MW to 330MW, has been recording higher-than-expected performance.

The fifth phase will provide clean energy to over 270,000 residences in Dubai and will reduce 1.18 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually. It will be commissioned in stages until 2023.

Al Tayer also inspected the work progress at the 950MW 4th phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. The 4th phase uses the IPP model with investments up to AED 15.78 billion. He was briefed by Noor Energy 1 officials on the work progress in the 4^th phase, which is the largest single-site project that combines Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) and photovoltaic technology using the IPP model. The overall construction of the project is 90% complete.

A consortium led by DEWA and ACWA Power formed a project company, Noor Energy 1, to design, build, and operate the 4^th phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. DEWA owns 51% of the company while ACWA Power holds 25%, and the Chinese Silk Road Fund owns 24%.

The 4th phase of the Solar Park uses three hybrid technologies to produce clean energy: 600MW from a parabolic basin complex (three units of 200MW each), 100MW from the world’s tallest solar power tower at 262.44 metres (based on Molten Salt technology), and 250MW from photovoltaic solar panels. On its completion, the project will have the largest thermal storage capacity in the world of 15 hours, allowing for energy availability round the clock. The 4th phase will provide clean energy for around 320,000 residences and reduce 1.6 million tonnes of carbon emissions every year.

The current capacity at the Solar Park is 1,627MW using solar photovoltaic panels. DEWA is implementing more projects with a total capacity of 1,233MW using solar photovoltaic and CSP.

DEWA’s installed capacity has reached 14,117 MW of electricity. Clean energy share in Dubai’s energy mix has reached 11.5% and is expected to reach 14% by the end of 2022.