Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) will launch concentrated solar power (CSP) projects that will generate 1,000 MW by 2030, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of Dewa has announced.

The announcement was made in a press conference attended by executive vice presidents, vice presidents and senior officials at Dewa.

The decision aims to support the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to provide 7 per cent of Dubai’s total power output from clean energy sources by 2020, 25 per cent by 2030, and 75 per cent by 2050.

Dewa intends to build the largest 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 1,000 MW 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 1,000 MW by 2020 and 5,000 MW by 2030. The 13MW first phase became operational in October 2013. 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.

 “One of the successes that Dewa has achieved in this area, is receiving a globally-competitive price of $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. – TradeArabia News Service