The production capacity of the second phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park will be increased from 100 MW to 200 MW according to an announcement by His Excellency Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA). The announcement was made at a press conference held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Dubai.
The solar park will be based on the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model and will be operational by April 2017. The conference was attended by Mohammad Abunayyan, Chairman of Saudi ACWA which leads the consortium along with Spain’s TSK, and Gregory Thomassin, Project Manager and financial advisor at KPMG and Camilo Varas, Technical Advisor at Lahmeyer International.
“DEWA adds another solar facility at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which is one of the largest renewable energy projects in the region” said Al Tayer. “This is in line with directives of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, to produce renewable energy locally, sustain our precious resources and support the growth of a promising new sector.”
HE Al Tayer added that it is also in line with the Green Economy for Sustainable Development initiative launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and that it is in line with his vision which sets out a roadmap for DEWA’s developmental initiatives and projects. It also conforms to the Dubai Plan 2021 which aims to enhance sustainability.
DEWA is adding another solar plant at the solar park which currently is one of the largest renewable energy projects in the region. It will cost around AED 12 billion to develop and will produce 1,000 MW of electricity when completed in 2030.
The consortium engaged in developing the solar park is led by ACWA and TSK and was selected as a preferred bidder based on its proposal for 200 MW with a LCOE (Levelised Cost of Energy) of approximately 5.85 cents per kWh.
The project occupies an area of 4.5 square kilometres and will displace 250,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually. It will increase the size of solar energy projects in Dubai to 220 MW.
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