Contract awarded for 1.5 gigawatt solar plant in UAE
Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) has awarded Abu Dhabi’s renewables developer, Masdar, and France’s Engie a development contract to build its new 1.5 GW gigawatt (GW) solar plant in Abu Dhabi in the UAE, according to MENAFN via Trend News Agency on October 11th.
The Khazna Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Independent Power Project is located near Al Khazna in Abu Dhabi and will include almost three million solar panels which will give sufficient electricity to power roughly 160,000 homes and cut over 2.4 million metric tons of carbon emissions, per year.
EWEC and the two partners signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) that will see Engie and Masdar design, fund, construct and run the plant.
The initiative is part of EWEC’s plan to widen Abu Dhabi’s solar capacity to 18GW by 2035 and meet 60% of the Emirate’s power demand from both renewable and clean sources in order to meet the Department of Energy’s Clean Energy Strategic Target 2035.
“Khazna Solar PV is a strategic asset that significantly accelerates our journey toward achieving the UAE’s renewable energy goals,” said EWEC’s chief executive, Ahmed Alid Alshamsi.
“By partnering with ENGIE and Masdar, we are leveraging world-class expertise to strengthen the UAE’s energy security and sustainability.”
Earlier this year, the UAE and Morocco signed a $13 billion (£9.8 billion) investment deal in a bid to transform Morocco’s water and energy infrastructure by 2030.
The deal outlines plans for major infrastructure projects, including water and electricity transport, seawater desalination, and energy production. It is expected to deepen ties between the two countries and could enhance Morocco’s bid for leadership in the energy sector. The projects are expected to lead to more than 25,000 job opportunities.
Meanwhile, a report by SolarPower Europe identified that Morocco’s solar power capacity could increase from 0.32 GW to 4.35 GW by 2028.
The report notes that Morocco has much solar potential, particularly in the south, where sunlight levels hit 2,264 kWh/m²/year.
MENAFN via Trend News Agency, Maghrebi.org
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