HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), conducted a field visit to the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. The solar park projects and its various phases aim to achieve the targets of the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, which was launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The Strategy aims to provide 7% of Dubai’s energy from clean sources by 2020, 25% by 2030, and 75% by 2050.
Al Tayer was accompanied by Nasser Lootah, Executive Vice President of Generation, Abdullah Obaidullah, Executive Vice President of Water & Civil, Jamal Shaheen Al Hammadi, Vice President of Special Projects, and Mohamed Al Shamsi, Vice President of Water & Civil Projects and Water Maintenance.
Al Tayer was briefed on the progress of the third phase of the solar park, by representatives from Shuaa Energy 2, which was established by DEWA with a 60% stake in the company. Shuaa Energy 2 was launched in partnership with the Masdar-led consortium, and Électricité de France (EDF), through its subsidiary EDF Energies Nouvelles, who own the remaining 40% of Shuaa Energy 2. A detailed presentation was also given by representatives from the international consortium led by the renewable energy contractor GranSolar from Spain, handling the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) which includes Acciona from Spain and Ghella from Italy; showing 22% progress in the achievement rate. Al Tayer stressed the need to maintain the highest standards of security, health and safety, and to adhere to the project’s contractual schedule.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is the largest single-site solar park in the world, based on the IPP model, with a planned capacity of 1,000MW by 2020 and 5,000MW by 2030, and a total investment of AED 50 billion (USD 13.6 billion) that will eventually save approximately 6.5 million tonnes per annum in emissions. DEWA registered a Levelised Cost of Electricity (LCOE) of USD $2.99 cents per kilowatt hour (kW/h) for the third phase of the solar park, to be operational in 2020. The World Expo will be connected to the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which will provide it with 400MW of power.
The implementation progress of the third phase, which will produce 800MW, will be complete by 2020. The third phase will be completed in 3 stages over 16 square kilometres. The first 200MW stage is expected to be operational in the first half of 2018. The 300MW second stage will be operational in 2019, and the third 300MW stage will be completed in the first half of 2020. The 200MW second phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park was inaugurated by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, marking a new phase in the excellence and leadership of the UAE, furthering its dependence on renewable and clean energy sources.