A consortium led by Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA) and Masdar, with partners French electric utility company, EDF and JinkoPower, will develop the world’s largest solar power plant in Abu Dhabi.
Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) awarded the contract to develop the 2 GW Al Dhafra Solar Photovoltaic, PV, Independent Power Producer, IPP, project, which will be located approximately 35 kilometres from Abu Dhabi city.
The procurement process resulted in one of the most cost-competitive tariffs for solar PV energy, set at AED 4.97 fils/kWh (USD 1.35 cents/kWh) on a levelised cost of electricity basis.
The Al Dhafra Solar PV project is expected to provide approximately 160,000 households across the UAE with electricity. It will be larger than TAQA’s existing 1.2 GW ‘Noor Abu Dhabi’ solar plant, which is currently the world’s largest operational single-project solar PV plant.
“We are delighted to work with our partners and sign a PPA with a record-low tariff for solar power,” said Othman Al Ali, CEO of EWEC. “We are working to secure long-term energy supply and reinforce solar power’s integral role in meeting current and future energy needs.”
Jasim Husain Thabet, Group CEO and managing director at TAQA, said, “The project’s low tariff and utilisation of best-in-class technology further demonstrate the feasibility of utility-scale renewable energy projects that are accelerating our nation’s progress on meeting the ambitious energy objectives outlined in the UAE Energy Strategy 2050.”
The plant is expected to reduce Abu Dhabi’s CO2 emissions by more than 2.4 million metric tonnes per year, equivalent to removing approximately 470,000 cars from the road, EWEC said.
Through this project, 60 percent will be owned by a consortium comprising TAQA and Masdar, while the remaining 40 percent will be owned by EDF and JinkoPower. The project’s financial closure is expected to occur in Q3 2020, enabling initial power generation in H1 2022 and full generation by H2 2022.
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