Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), has reviewed the progress of the 300MW second stage of the 800MW third phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park
The second phase of the solar park is scheduled to be operational in late June. Construction of the 300MW third stage started earlier this year and will be operational in 2020.
The solar park, the largest single-site solar park in the world based on the independent power producer (IPP) model, aims to generate 5,000MW by 2030 with investments of up to US$13.61bn.
DEWA is building the 800MW third phase of the solar park using photovoltaic (PV) technology in three stages, in partnership with a consortium led by Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) and EDF Group, through its subsidiary EDF ?nergies Nouvelles.
DEWA established Shuaa Energy 2 with a 60 per cent stake in the company in partnership with the Masdar-led consortium and ?lectricit? de France (EDF), through its subsidiary EDF ?nergies Nouvelles.
This solar plant is set to have an advanced solar tracking system to increase generation efficiency by 20-30 per cent when compared to fixed installations.
According to DEWA, the cost of PV solar power for this phase of the solar park stands at a levelised cost of energy (LCOE) of US$2.99 cents per kilowatt-hour.
The first stage has a capacity of 200MW and became operational in May 2018. It uses technologies including more than 800,000 self-cleaning solar cells that use robots to maintain efficiency. This stage provides more than 60,000 residences with electricity, reducing around 270,000 tonnes of carbon emissions every year.
The 13MW PV first phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park became operational in 2013. The 200MW PV second phase of the solar park was launched in March 2017 and the 800MW PV third phase will be operational by 2020.
DEWA issued a request for qualification (RFQ) for developers to build and operate the fifth phase of the solar park with a capacity of 900MW. The phase is expected to use PV solar panels based on the IPP model and to be commissioned in stages from the Q2 2021.
