Gulf Construction Online - Dewa to add 600 MW of clean energy this year

UAE Focus

Dewa is commissioning the 300 MW first stage of the fifth phase of the MBR Solar Park this month.

Dewa to add 600 MW of clean energy this year

01 July 2021

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) will add 600 megawatts (MW) of clean energy capacity using photovoltaic solar panels and concentrated solar power (CSP) to Dubai’s energy mix during 2021.

This will increase Dewa’s total power capacity from clean energy to 1,613 MW compared to 1,013 MW currently.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dewa said that this month (July), Dewa will commission the 300 MW first stage of the fifth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (MBR) Solar Park. Dewa will commission the world’s tallest CSP tower at 262.44 m with a capacity of 100 MW in September and 200 MW from the parabolic trough as part of the fourth phase of the solar park by the end of 2021.

Therefore, Dewa will add 300 W from solar photovoltaic panels and 300 MW from CSP. Clean capacity in Dubai’s energy mix will reach around 10 per cent in July and 12 per cent by the end of the year.

“The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is one of Dewa’s key projects to achieve this vision and increase the share of clean and renewable energy capacity in Dubai’s energy mix. This supports the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, which aims to provide 75 per cent of Dubai’s total power capacity from clean energy sources by 2050. Since its launch, the solar park’s projects have received considerable interest from global developers, which reflects the confidence of international investors in Dewa’s major projects,” said Al Tayer.

Al Tayer emphasised that Dewa’s major projects in cooperation with the private sector, based on the independent power producer (IPP) model, contribute to the economic growth of the Emirate. Through this model, Dewa received the lowest solar energy prices (Levelised Cost of Energy) globally five consecutive times, making Dubai a global benchmark for solar power prices. Dewa has attracted investments of around AED40 billion ($10.89 billion) from the IPP model.

Waleed Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Excellence at Dewa, explained that the fourth phase of the MBR Solar Park is the largest single-site investment project that combines CSP and photovoltaic technology using the IPP model. It is rated for 950 MW with investments up to AED16 billion. This phase is characterised by the largest thermal energy storage capacity in the world of 15 hours, which allows for energy production round the clock.

Dewa received the lowest global bid of $1.6953 cents per kilowatt hour for the 900MW fifth phase using the latest solar photovoltaic bifacial technologies, with Single Axis Tracking to increase energy production.