The Emirati renewable energy group Masdar has announced the completion of solar PV module installation for the 2 GW Al-Dhafra solar IPP project located in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), thus paving the way towards a full commissioning of the project later in 2023.
The Al Dhafra Solar project, located approximately 35 km from Abu Dhabi city, is comprised of about 3.5 million solar PV modules and is expected to increase Abu Dhabi’s solar power capacity to around 3.2 GW. It is expected to generate enough electricity for approximately 160,000 UAE households and mitigate emissions by 2.4 MtCO2/year.
The project, which reached financial close in 2020, is led by a consortium of four companies, including the UAE’s TAQA and Masdar with 30% each, as well as EDF Renewables (France) and Jinko Power (China), which own 20% each.
The UAE’s solar capacity increased from 0.6 GW in 2018 to 2.7 GW in 2021, representing about 6% of the country’s total installed capacity. Solar represented 5% of power generation with 7.3 TWh in 2021. The UAE targets a share of 44% of renewables in the energy mix in 2050. The country also aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 31.5% by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2050.
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