Dubai launches second phase of solar park

The second phase of Dubai’s Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, developed by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia-based ACWA Power, was inaugurated on Monday by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai.

Spain-based TSK was the main contractor for the 200 megawatt plant, which is expected to generate clean energy for 50,000 residences in Dubai and to reduce 214,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.

Developed with an investment of AED 1.2 billion the solar park is said to be the first and largest solar-energy project in the region, based on the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model.

The plant has “a planned capacity of 1,000 megawatts by 2020 and 5,000 megawatts by 2030, with a total investment of AED 50 billion,” Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), said in a statement.

The project is part of the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 that aims to generate 7 percent of the emirate’s total power from clean energy by 2020, and 75 percent by 2050.