Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) said steady progress is being made on the 300 MW second stage of Phase Three of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park which will be operational in late June.

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is the largest single-site solar park in the world based on the independent power producer (IPP) model. Once completed, it will generate 5,000 MW by 2030 with investments of up to Dh50 billion ($13.6 billion).  It is being implemented in five phases, with the first two phases already completed.  Phase Three is being carried out three stages.

Dewa said the construction of the 300 MW third stage of Phase Three started earlier this year and will be operational in 2020. Hence, the second and third stages will add a total of 600 MW of clean energy to Dewa's network between July this year and January 2020.

The first stage of Phase Three has a capacity of 200 MW and became operational in May 2018. It uses unique technologies, including over 800,000 self-cleaning solar cells that use robots to maintain efficiency.

This stage provides over 60,000 residences with electricity, reducing over 270,000 tonned of carbon emissions every year.

According to Dewa, the 13 MW photovoltaic Phase One of the MBR Solar Park became operational in 2013.

"The 200 MW photovoltaic second phase of the solar park was launched in March 2017, and the 800 MW photovoltaic third phase will be operational by 2020," remarked Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, the managing director and CEO after reviewing the progress of the 300 MW second stage of Phase Three of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park.

During the visit, Al Tayer was accompanied by Waleed Salman, executive vice-president of Business Development and Excellence at Dewa; Jamal Shaheen Al Hammadi, vice-president of Clean Energy & Diversification at Dewa and other officials.

Dewa is building the 800MW third phase of the solar park using photovoltaic technology in three stages, in partnership with a consortium led by Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) and EDF Group, through its subsidiary EDF Énergies Nouvelles.

This solar plant is the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa, with an advanced solar tracking system to increase generation efficiency by 20-30 per cent when compared to fixed installations.

Dewa recorded a world record in the cost of photovoltaic solar power for this phase of the solar park, at a levelised cost of energy (LCOE) of $2.99 cents per kilowatthour, using photovoltaic solar panels.

The fourth phase of the solar park is the largest single-site solar IPP project in the world and combines concentrated solar power (CSP) and photovoltaic technology. The phase will use hybrid technologies to produce 950 MW of clean energy.

The Dubai utility established Shuaa Energy 2 with a 60 per cent stake in the company in partnership with the Masdar-led consortium, and Électricité de France (EDF), through its subsidiary EDF Énergies Nouvelles.

The consortium owns the remaining 40 per cent of the company; Masdar owns 24 per cent and EDF Énergies Nouvelles owns 16 per cent.

The international consortium led by the renewable energy contractors GranSolar and Acciona from Spain and Ghella from Italy is handling the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC).

Dewa had issued a request for qualification (RFQ) for developers to build and operate the fifth phase of the solar park with a capacity of 900 MW.

The phase will use photovoltaic solar panels based on the IPP model and will be commissioned in stages from Q2 2021.-TradeArabia News Service