Dubai’s state-owned utility firm has signed a power purchase agreement with Abu Dubai Future Energy Company, better known as Masdar, for the 800MW third phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park.
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) said the agreement was signed by Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director andCEO of DEWA, and Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and chairman of Masdar.
Earlier this year, DEWA announced the Masdar-led consortium as selected bidder for the third phase of the solar park after the consortium bid the lowest cost of electricity.
“We are pleased to sign the Power Purchase Agreement with Abu Dubai Future Energy Company to produce 800MW based on the Independent Power Producer model for the third phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which is the largest single-site solar park in the world, with a planned capacity of 5,000MW by 2030,” said Al Tayer in a statement.
“The agreement with Masdar supports the directives of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and his brother Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to support the growth of the promising clean energy sector, and our efforts to achieve the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050.”
The strategy seeks to diversify the energy mix so clean energy will generate 7 percent of Dubai’s total power output by 2020, 25 percent by 2030 and 75 percent by 2050.
“Masdar is proud to partner with DEWA on this important milestone in the development of the UAE’s solar energy capacity. This agreement demonstrates the competitiveness of solar as a commercially-viable clean energy source for electricity generation. It is through ambitious projects of this scale that Masdar is able to drive the clean technology industry forward,” added Al Jaber.
In November 2015, Sheikh Mohammed launched the second phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. In June 2016, he witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Masdar-led consortium to implement the third phase of the solar park based on the IPP model.
The 800MW third phase will be operational in 2020 to coincide with the World Expo 2020 in Dubai.
Sheikh Mohammed first launched the solar park at Seih Al Dahal in early 2012. The first phase was successfully completed the next year, and is producing 13MW.
Source: Arabian Bussiness
