Dubai's DEWA says 80% of phase 2 of giant solar park completed

Dubai’s state utility company has announced that more than 80 percent of the second phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is complete.

The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is the largest single-site solar park in the world based on the Independent Power Producer model (IPP).

The second phase is the first and largest of its kind in the UAE and will eventually generate 200 megawatts (MW) of electricity by April 2017.

To date, 75 percent of the 2.2 million photovoltaic panels have been installed, said Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA).

During the installation, no injuries were recorded, with over 1 million safe man hours logged, it added.

The project occupies 4.5 square kilometres with an investment of about AED1.2 billion. Shuaa Energy 1 is a company established by DEWA to complete the project according to UAE legislation.

DEWA is the majority shareholder at 51 percent with Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power, and the Spanish industrial group TSK taking the remaining stake.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of DEWA, said: “All projects included in the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park adhere to the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, to transform Dubai into a global centre for clean energy and green economy.

“The strategy sets the target to generate 5,000MW of solar power by 2030. Clean energy will generate 7 percent of Dubai’s total power output by 2020, 25 percent by 2030, and 75 percent by 2050.”

The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park has a planned capacity of 1,000MW by 2020 and 5,000MW by 2030, and a total investment of AED50 billion ($13.6 billion) and will eventually save approximately 6.5 million tonnes per annum in emissions.