Al Tayer visits Noor Power Station 1 in Ouarzazate, Morocco

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), visited Noor Power Station 1 in Ouarzazate, Morocco, which was established by ACWA Power.

Mohammed Abunayyan, Chairman, ACWA Power Abdulhameed Almuhaideb, CEO Shuaa Energy, Ishaq Alhammadi, UAE Country Manager, Badis Darraji, Morocco Country Manager were present.

Al Tayer was accompanied by HE Ahmed Buti Al Muhairbi, Secretary General of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, Waleed Salman, Executive Vice President of Strategy & Business Development at DEWA, Dr. Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources at DEWA.

The visit enabled both parties to exchange best practices, and highlight the achievements of Moroccan companies and latest international practices in sustainable energy, and the diversification of resources. The visit also boosted cooperation on the research and production of electricity using solar photovoltaic panels and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP).

Noor 1 station spans over 450 hectares, and makes use of half a million mirrors. It has an installed capacity of 160 megawatts (MW), and is based on the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model. Phase 1 comes with a full-loaded molten salt storage capacity of 3 hours. It is the first phase of Noor-Ouarzazate. The first phase covers an area of 3,000 hectares. The entire Solar Project is planned to produce 580MW at peak when finished, supplying 1 million Moroccan houses be with clean energy.

“Through this visit, we aim to enhance collaboration on clean solar energy. The transformation towards clean energy has positive environmental, social, and economic effects, making conventional energy less competitive and attractive for further investments. Clean energy is a great opportunity for the future, as demand keeps rising around the world,” said Al Tayer.

“In adherence with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, we launched the largest CSP project in the world, using the IPP model, with an expected capacity of 1,000 MW by 2030, at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which is the largest single-site solar park in the world with a planned capacity of 5,000MW by 2030 with a total investment of AED 50 billion. DEWA has received a global record price of USD 2.99 cents per kilowatt (kW) for the park’s third phase. DEWA also aims to build the largest CSP project in the world, using the IPP model, the third phase will be operational in 2020. The UAE’s Masdar-led consortium was the selected bidder for the 800MW third phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. The importance of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park lies in two points: it is the first of its kind in the region, and in its capacity. It is the first of several promising projects to use renewable energy to generate electricity in Dubai,” added Al Tayer.

DEWA intends to build the largest CSP project in the world, using the Independent 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 has a total investment worth AED 50 billion. It will produce 1,000MW by 2020 and 5,000MW by 2030.