Staff Report
Dubai, UAE
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has inaugurated the Fifth Phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Solar Park that added 900 megawatt (MW) solar power to the existing 1,300 megawatts, making it the largest solar power plant in the region.
Mohammed bin Rashid Solar Park has a design capacity of 5,000 MW to be developed in phases by 2030 with a total investment outlay of Dh50 billion that will significantly reduce Dubai’s dependence on fossil fuel and reduce carbon emissions by 6.5 million tonnes.
The fifth phase of the project will provide clean energy to around 270,000 residences in Dubai, reducing 1.18 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually. The total area of the fifth phase is 10 square kilometres.
With this, Dubai’s state-run utility provider, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) increases share of clean energy in Dubai’s energy mix to about 16.3 percent of its total installed capacity that has reached 14,917 MW
“The UAE is at the forefront of global efforts to create a more sustainable future for all of humanity by taking concrete action to transition to renewable energies and combat climate change. In 2023, the UAE’s Year of Sustainability, and the year in which we are hosting COP28, we continue to place sustainability at the heart of our development plans and make new strides in shaping a truly environmentally friendly economy. The completion of the fifth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park takes us another major step closer to realising our vision for an economy fully powered by clean energy.’’ H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said.
The Dh2 billion project, implemented based on the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model, with a partnership between DEWA having a 60 stake in a consortium led by ACWA Power and Gulf Investment Corporation that possess 40 percent equity through Shuaa Energy 3. DEWA achieved a world record by receiving the lowest bid of $1.6953 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) for the fifth phase.
ACWA Power has worked on previous phases of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. The 200MW photovoltaic second phase of the solar park developed by ACWA Power was launched in March 2017.
Aligned with the UAE’s vision, Dubai has developed a clear strategy and pathway to achieve its targets of generating 25 per cent of its energy requirements from renewable sources by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2050. Dubai is resolute in its commitment to becoming one of the most sustainable cities in the world, with diverse initiatives. The rapid progress of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park project is yet another example of our strong ethos of public-private partnerships. H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum also added.
The fifth phase is one of the first projects in the Middle East to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) as part of an advanced robotic cleaning system for the operation and maintenance of photovoltaic panels. The total area of the fifth phase is approximately 10 square kilometres, which is half of the total area of the 800MW third phase.
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