The French company EDF Power Solutions and South Korea’s Korea Western Power (KOWEPO) have signed a joint development agreement with the Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) to develop the 1.5 GW Al Zarraf solar PV project in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates). The project was awarded to the consortium following a competitive bidding process, for which 16 companies were qualified. Under the tender's terms, EDF and KOWEPO own up to 40% of the project, while the remaining equity will be held indirectly by the Abu Dhabi government.
The project is expected to produce enough energy to supply approximately 160,000 homes and avoid about 2.4 MtCO2/year in emissions, representing about 5% of the EWEC’s forecasted reduction in power emissions intensity of 36% by 2030.
The United Arab Emirates' total installed capacity was 42 GW (end of 2023) and is dominated by gas (77%), followed by nuclear (10%), solar (7%), and coal (6%).