Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai recently announced the inauguration of the 300 (megawatt) MW first stage of the 900MW fifth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, according to media reports.
The project is implemented by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and it uses the independent power producer (IPP) model. This solar park is said to be the largest single-site solar park in the world and with a plan totalled capacity of 5,000MW by 2030.
This project is considered to be one of the key pillars of the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050. This project aims to provide 75 percent of Dubai’s total power capacity from clean energy sources by 2050. The investment for the fifth phase amounts to Dh 2.058 billion.
Last year in November, DEWA announced the consortium led by ACWA Power and Gulf Investment Corporation as the bidder of their choice and they will operate the fifth phase. DEWA also set a world record recently by receiving the lowest bid of 1.6953 US cents per kilowatt-hour.
Until 2023, the fifth stage will be commissioned in stages and it will provide clean energy to over 270,000 residences in Dubai, including 90,000 residences by the commissioned first stage, and will reduce 1.18 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually. Additionally, Sheikh Mohammed also launched a project to learn the feasibility of generating electricity by utilising wind energy in Hatta.
Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer (pictured above), managing director and CEO of DEWA told the media, “Commissioning the 300MW first stage of the fifth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park increases DEWA’s total capacity of clean energy to 1,310MW. This brings clean energy capacity in Dubai’s energy mix to around 10 percent.”