Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) | MD&CEO visits Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), has visited the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world, which is based on the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model. The solar park has a planned capacity of 5,000 megawatts (MW) by 2030, at a total investment of AED 50 billion. During his visit, Al Tayer was accompanied by Nasser Lootah, Executive Vice President of Generation, Waleed Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development & Excellence, and Jamal Shaheen Al Hammadi, Vice President of Special Projects.

The solar park supports the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to promote sustainability and transform Dubai into a global hub for clean energy and green economy and contribute to achieving the objectives of the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, to provide 75% of Dubai's total power output from clean energy by 2050.

The 13MW photovoltaic first phase became operational in 2013. The 200MW photovoltaic second phase of the solar park was launched in March 2017. The 800MW photovoltaic third phase will be operational by 2020, and the first stage of the 700MW Concentrated Solar Power fourth phase will be commissioned in Q4 of 2020.

Representatives from Shuaa Energy 2, established and 60%-owned by DEWA, briefed Al Tayer on the progress of the third phase. DEWA launched Shuaa Energy 2 in partnership with the Masdar-led consortium, and Électricité de France (EDF), through its subsidiary EDF Energies Nouvelles. The consortium owns the remaining 40% of the company; Masdar owns 24% and EDF Energies Nouvelles owns 16%. The international consortium led by the renewable energy contractors GranSolar and Acciona from Spain and Ghella from Italy, arehandling the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC).

The 800MW third phase will be completed in 3 stages. The first stage of 200MW will be launched this April, while 300MW will be operational in the first half of 2019, and the third 300MW stage will be completed in the first half of 2020.

In June 2016, DEWA announced that the consortium led by Masdar won the tender for the IPP-based implementation of the third phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. DEWA registered the lowest Levelised Cost of Electricity (LCOE) worldwide of USD 2.99 cents per kilowatt hour (kW/h) for the third phase of the solar park. which will be implemented in stages until 2020.