Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) | DEWA CSP solar projects to generate 1,000 MW in Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) announced that DEWA will launch Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) projects that will generate 1,000MW by 2030, to carry out the directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. This is the result of Dubai’s significant achievements in solar energy to support the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, launched by His Highness, to provide 7% of Dubai’s total power output from clean energy sources by 2020, 25% by 2030, and 75% by 2050. The announcement was made in a press conference attended by Executive Vice Presidents, Vice Presidents and senior officials at DEWA, and local and international media.

DEWA intends to build the largest Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) project in the world, using the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model. DEWA has released a tender for leading international CSP consultants to submit their proposals for advisory services for the 200MW first project of the CSP plant. It will be operational by April 2021. DEWA will generate 1,000MW using this technology by 2030 in the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park, which is the largest single-site solar park in the world that uses the IPP model. It will produce 1,000MW by 2020 and 5,000MW by 2030. The 13MW first phase became operational in October 2013, and the 200MW second phase will be operational in April 2017. When it’s completed, the project will achieve a reduction of approximately 6.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually.

“An important advantage of CSP is that thermal heat, which is used to produce electricity, can be stored easily, which makes it possible to produce electricity after sunset. The plant will have several thousand heliostats located around a tower that receives the radiation reflected by the heliostats which follow the sun’s movement. The heat-transfer fluid is then used to power the steam turbine to generate electricity. The project will use thermal storage for 8-12 hours daily, taking into account technical and economic factors. This will contribute to improving the effectiveness and efficiency of production and meet the requirements of the electricity grid. This in turn, provides sustainable world-class energy supply, in terms of availability and reliability, for everyone, and supports the sustainable development of the Emirate. It will contribute to the happiness of society to making Dubai the city with the lowest carbon footprint in the world by 2050,” said Al Tayer.

“HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum once observed that, “Success is not a destination, but a journey. Each time that you reach a summit on this journey, you must look ahead to the next one.” At DEWA, we do not rest on our laurels. Instead, we constantly work, led by the vision of our wise leadership who instructed us to prepare to bid farewell to the last drop of oil. This is based on a vision that recognises the significance of renewable energy in achieving a balance between development and sustainability. This balance will help preserve the rights of future generations to live in a clean, healthy, and safe environment. DEWA continues building projects to achieve this vision and consolidate sustainability to ensure a brighter and happier future. This is achieved through distinguished projects and initiatives to increase dependence on renewable and clean energy sources. DEWA works to diversify Dubai's energy mix to include 61% from natural gas, 25% from solar energy, 7% from clean coal, and 7% from nuclear power by 2030. The mix will gradually increase the employment of clean energy sources to 75% by 2050, to achieve sustainable development and enhance the prosperity and well-being of our citizens, residents, and visitors, while ensuring a sustainable future for generations to come,” added Al Tayer.

“One of the successes that DEWA has achieved in this area, is receiving a globally-competitive price of USD 2.99 cents per kilowatt hour for the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park’s 800MW third phase. This demonstrates the trust that international investors have both in Dubai and in DEWA, and is a testament of our transparency in all our projects, in addition to DEWA’s strong financial position,” noted Al Tayer.

“We will continue to build clean and renewable energy projects in Dubai to support the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, and the Dubai Plan 2021, to make Dubai a city whose environmental elements are clean, healthy, and sustainable. Today’s announcement of the first CSP project will be followed by other major projects to diversify Dubai’s energy mix. This will contribute to achieving the vision of our wise leadership to make Dubai number one globally, and our vision to become a sustainable innovative world-class utility,” concluded Al Tayer.