Gulf Construction Online - Dubai launches world’s largest CSP project

UAE Focus

Sheikh Mohammed launches the solar power project.

Dubai launches world’s largest CSP project

01 January 2024

HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, last month inaugurated the largest concentrated solar power (CSP) project in the world, within the fourth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai.

The 950 MW Phase Four is the biggest investment project that uses three hybrid technologies – 600 MW from a parabolic basin complex, 100 MW from the CSP tower, and 250 MW from photovoltaic solar panels.

Being built at an investment of AED15.78 billion ($4.3 billion), the project features the tallest solar tower in the world, standing at 263.1 m high, and the largest thermal energy storage capacity of 5,907 megawatt hours (MWh), said Dewa. The project features 70,000 heliostats that track the sun’s movement, it added.

In his address, Sheikh Mohammed said: “The UAE has a clear vision to transform itself into one of the world’s most sustainable nations. Our journey towards sustainability is comprehensive, encompassing advanced clean energy projects across diverse renewable sources, and innovative solutions integrated into various spheres of the economy and society.”

“The solar park is at the heart of Dubai and the UAE’s commitment to create a world-class infrastructure for sustainability and a robust foundation for building an environmentally friendly future. Coming at the culmination of the UAE’s Year of Sustainability, the launch of the fourth phase of the solar park is an important milestone in our sustainability journey, he stated.

He was later briefed on the project by Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dewa.

“ Phase Four of the solar park covers an area of 44 sq km and features 70,000 heliostats that track the sun’s movement. The Molten Salt Receiver (MSR) on top of the solar power tower is the core and the most important part of the CSP plant,” stated Al Tayer.

“The MSR contains over 1,000 thin tubes that enable the absorption of sunrays and their transfer to the molten salt within these tubes. It receives solar radiation and turns it into thermal energy,” he noted.

According to him, the project will provide approximately 320,000 residences with clean and sustainable energy. It will cut carbon emissions by about 1.6 million tonnes annually, he added.