Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) | MD & CEO welcomes Bahraini Minister of Electricity and Water Affairs at Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), received a high-level delegation from Bahrain, headed by HE Dr Abdulhussain Mirza, Minister of Electricity and Water Affairs of Bahrain. The meeting was held at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world based on the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model. 

The meeting was attended by HE Dr Matar Hamed Al Neyadi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Energy in the UAE, HE Mohammad Boushehri, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Electricity and Water of Kuwait, Mohammed A. Abunayyan, Chairman of ACWA Power, and from DEWA; Waleed Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Excellence, Dr Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources, Marwan Bin Haider, Executive Vice President of Innovation and the Future, and Jamal Al Hammadi, Vice President of Special Projects.

During the visit, Al Tayer presented DEWA’s most important projects, initiatives, and programmes, which adopt sustainability as part of its vision. DEWA has adopted the triple-bottom-line approach to sustainability of economy, society, and the environment. This supports the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, announced by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to provide 75% of Dubai's total power output from clean energy by 2050. These projects include the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which has a planned capacity of 5,000 megawatts (MW) by 2030, at a total investment of AED 50 billion and will eventually save approximately 6.5 million tonnes per annum in carbon emissions. This supports the vision of His Highness to promote sustainability and transform Dubai into a global hub for clean energy and green economy.

Al Tayer explained the most important components of the solar park, as well as its completion stages and strategic objectives. The MD & CEO explained that the 13MW photovoltaic first phase became operational in 2013. The 200MW photovoltaic second phase of the solar park was commissioned in March 2017. The second phase was implemented by DEWA in partnership with the consortium led by ACWA Power from Saudi Arabia, the main developer, and Spain’s TSK, the main contractor, with an investment of AED 1.2 billion. The phase will generate clean energy for 50,000 residences in Dubai, and will reduce 214,000 tonnes of carbon emissions a year. This phase installed 2.3 million photovoltaic solar panels over 4.5 square kilometres.

“We are currently working on the 800MW third phase of the solar park, which will be completed in 3 stages over 16 square kilometres. The first 200MW stage is expected to be operational by April 2018. The 300MW second stage will be operational in the first half of 2019, and the third 300MW stage will be completed in the first half of 2020. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, had announced the 700MW AED14.2 billion fourth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. This is the largest single-site Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) project in the world, based on the IPP model. The project will have the world’s tallest solar tower, at 260 metres. The project will be commissioned in stages, starting from Q4 of 2020. DEWA has achieved world-class results and set a new global standard by achieving world records in energy prices of USD 5.6 cents per kW/h for the second 200MW phase in 2015 and USD 2.99 cents per kW/h for the third 800MW phase in 2016, and USD 7.3 cents per kW/h for the fourth 700MW CSP phase, which is the lowest in the world based on the IPP model,” noted Al Tayer.

The delegation visited the Solar Testing Centre at the solar park, which includes test technologies for photovoltaic panels and for concentrated solar power (CSP) as well. The centre is currently testing over 30 photovoltaic panel types from global manufacturers to check their performance, analyse them, and test their long-term reliability in the local climate. The tests will set a baseline for the development of international specifications, tests and standards for photovoltaic equipment, and tackling the effects of dust soiling photovoltaic panels.

The technical testing platforms include a building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) module, a multi-angle test unit for solar panels, a mono-axis solar tracker, and a bi-directional tracer. The results of these tests will enable DEWA to enhance the use of solar technology, and to understand its long-term reliability in the local climate.

Al Tayer also reviewed the water desalination unit at the solar park. The desalination plant is powered by a photovoltaic array and uses reverse osmosis technology to produce 50 cubic metres of drinking water a day. The project supports DEWA’s Research & Development (R&D) efforts to provide the facility with high-quality drinking water. DEWA cooperates with other international organisations to conduct research on water desalination using solar power. The project also supports DEWA and the UAE Water Foundation’s (Suqia)’s efforts to supply people in poor countries with clean drinking water.