DEWA selects Masdar to build 1|800MW solar park

The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has selected clean energy company Masdar as the preferred bidder to build and operate the 6th phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, with a capacity of 1,800MW.

DEWA received 23 expressions of interest from international applicants to develop this project. Subsequently, the Request for Qualification (RFQ) was released to market on 15th November 2022.

This phase of the project will cost approximately AED 5.51 billion ($1.5 billion) and will be built based on the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model.

The project will become operational in Q4 of 2024.

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According to HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, the share of clean energy in Dubai’s energy mix is about 16.3% of its total installed capacity. This percentage will reach 24% with the completion of the Sixth Phase and the remaining phases under construction of the solar park.

“...DEWA launched several leading renewable projects, including the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world. Using the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model, it will have a capacity of 5,000MW by 2030 with investments totalling AED 50 billion,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer in a statement.

The total capacity of the solar energy projects commissioned at the solar park has reached 2,427MW and when completed, the solar park will reduce over 6.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually.

Phases of energy production at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park include:

• The 13MW 1st phase uses photovoltaic solar (PV) panels and became operational in October 2013
• The 200MW 2nd Phase uses photovoltaic solar (PV) panels and became operational in March 2017
• The 800MW 3rd phase uses photovoltaic solar (PV) panels and became fully operational in November 2020
• The 950MW 4th phase combines 700MW from Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) and 250MW using photovoltaic solar (PV) panels. A total of 417MW of the 4th phase using PV and CSP is already operational
• The 900MW 5th phase uses photovoltaic solar panels, A total of 600MW of the 4th phase is already operational
• The 1800MW 6th phase uses photovoltaic solar panels (PV). It will become operational in stages.