dewa-makes-significant-progress-in-aed-250-million-substation-at-mohammed-bin-rashid-al-maktoum-sola

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has confirmed that DEWA is progressing to according to plan with the construction of the 400/132kV substation at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. Al Tayer stated that this supports the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and the Dubai Plan 2021, to enhance Dubai’s position as a global role model for achieving the highest standards in energy efficiency, renewable energy, creativity, innovation, and creating a sustainable future for generations to come. Al Tayer noted that DEWA is building a world-class energy infrastructure to meet all the development needs in the Emirate. Constructing the 400/132kV substation is part of DEWA’s efforts to implement its strategy and ambitious plans according to the highest availability, reliability, and efficiency standards. This project includes supplying, installing, testing, and commissioning a 400/132kV substation with four 400kV cables. About 30% of the project’s engineering work has been completed. The station is due to be completed by November 2016. Al Tayer pointed that the 400/132kV substation will connect the solar power generated from the 200MW second phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, to DEWA’s grid to supply Dubai with electricity. In the future, other phases of the Solar Park will be connected to the station to power new development projects in Dubai. There will be future expansions at the station. Another substation with the same capacity will be built to transmit the solar energy of the Solar Park, which is expected to reach 3,000MW by 2030. The 400/132KV substation is being built at a cost of AED250 million and has a 505 MVA transmission capacity. It is one of the projects of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which is one of the largest strategic Independent Power Producer (IPP) projects worldwide in renewable energy with a planned 1,000MW production capacity by 2020 and 3,000MW by 2030. The project supports the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030 developed by the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy to diversify the energy mix in the Emirate. Solar energy will account for 7% of the total energy production by 2020 and 15% by 2030. The project, which occupies 4.5 square kilometres, will help achieve a reduction of approximately 400,000 tonnes of carbon emissions by 2020, and support the green initiatives and programmes implemented by the Government of Dubai to reduce carbon emissions. The substation features the latest digital substations technologies to serve Dubai’s ambitious development and economic plans. It has three sections. The first includes a 400kV substation and has 11 gas-insulated switchgears (GIS). The second section includes a 132kV substation that has 21 GIS. The third section is the control building. DEWA has appointed the Swiss engineering firm ABB to build the project and Energo as the project’s consultant. ABB is working with a number of companies on the project, including Commodore.