Massive Dubai solar park to add another 1,800 MW

Financial closing for the sixth phase of the world’s largest single-site solar has just been completed, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) announced Wednesday.

The 1,800-megawatt sixth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, once completed, will allow the facility to get one step closer to meeting its 5,000 megawatt target by 2030.

Currently, the solar park boasts a production capacity of 2,627MW, with an additional 2033 MW under construction. Upon completion of the sixth phase, the total production capacity will surge to 4,660MW by 2026, contributing significantly to DEWA’s target of sourcing around 27 per cent of the generation mix from clean energy sources by 2030.

Once operational, this phase is projected to provide clean energy to approximately 540,000 residences and reduce carbon emissions by around 2.36 million tonnes annually.

Masdar will oversee the construction and operation of the 1,800MW expansion using photovoltaic solar panels under an Independent Power Producer (IPP) model, with costs amounting to approximately Dhs5.5bn. The project’s total investments are further estimated to reach around Dhs50bn. 

The sixth phase further aims to hit the lowest ‘Levelised Cost Of Energy’ (LCOE) of $1.6215 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh).

For the sixth phase of the Solar Park, DEWA established Shuaa Energy 4 in partnership with Masdar. DEWA owns 60 per cent of the company and Masdar holds the remaining 40 per cent. 

The lending group for the project includes prominent institutions such as Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Commercial Bank of Dubai, First Abu Dhabi Bank, HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, and Warba Bank.