DUBAI, UAE – MD and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer said DEWA had added 300 megawatts of photovoltaic solar energy in 2022 from the fifth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park using the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model.
The Solar Park, which is the world’s largest single-site, will have a production capacity of 5,000 megawatts (MW) by 2030.
The fifth phase is currently underway with a total capacity of 900MW and investments estimated at US$560 million (AED2.058 billion).
It will be operational in phases until 2023.
This year DEWA has added 300MW using the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model, to the 300MW that became operational last year from the fifth phase.
“We are also prepared to meet the growing demand for electricity and water services according to the highest availability, reliability, efficiency and quality standards,” said Al Tayer.
“We strive to keep pace with demand by implementing pioneering projects to diversify sources of energy production to include various clean and renewable energy sources and technologies in Dubai and expand the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park projects,” he said.
“This will help achieve the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050 to provide 100 percent of Dubai’s total power production capacity from clean energy sources by 2050,” he added.
Al Tayer said that by adding 300MW from the 900MW fifth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park using photovoltaic solar panels, the current production capacity of the solar park has reached 1,827MW.
DEWA is implementing other projects at the Solar Park with a total of 1,033MW using PV and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP).
The share of clean energy in Dubai is about 12.8 percent of the total installed capacity of 14,317 MW.
This percentage is expected to reach 14 percent by the end of 2022.
The fourth phase of the solar park, with a capacity of 950 MW and investments amounting to $4.3 billion (AED15.78 billion) according to the IPP model, is the largest concentrated single-site solar power plant that combines CSP and solar photovoltaic technologies.
This phase will use three hybrid technologies: 600MW from a parabolic basin complex (three units of 200MW each), 100MW from the world’s tallest solar power tower at 262.44 meters (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 fourth phase will provide clean energy for around 320,000 residences and reduce 1.6 million tonnes of carbon emissions yearly.
A total of 217MW of the fourth phase using photovoltaic solar panels is already operational.
DEWA has invited international developers to send their Expressions of Interest (EOI) to implement the sixth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park based on the IPP model.
The 900 MW sixth phase of the Solar Park will be implemented using photovoltaic solar panels.
It will become operational in stages starting from third quarter of 2025.