2 GW Al Dhafra Solar Plant Commissioned In UAE

• A Masdar-led consortium has commissioned the 2 GW Al Dhafra Solar Power Plant in Abu Dhabi 
• It is equipped with around 4 million bifacial solar panels and supplies power to EWEC 
• The project increases Abu Dhabi's solar power production capacity to 3.2 GW 

A consortium led by renewable energy player Masdar has commissioned the world's largest single-site solar power plant with 2 GW capacity in Abu Dhabi. It built the project together with partners Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA), EDF Renewables and JinkoPower. The plant increases Abu Dhabi's solar power production capacity to 3.2 GW. 

The project is located 35 kms from Abu Dhabi and is equipped with almost 4 million bifacial solar panels that, the project partners claim, were installed at an average rate of 10 MW/day. It created 4,500 jobs during the peak of construction. 

The plant is expected to generate enough clean energy to power close to 200,000 homes and displace 2.4 million tons of carbon emissions/year. The power generated will be procured by the state utility Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC). 

EWEC CEO Othman Al Ali shared, "Furthermore, we expect to commission the development of an additional 1GW of new solar power energy projects in Abu Dhabi every year for the next 10 years as part of our strategic plan to rapidly accelerate the decarbonization of energy production, ensuring the UAE is a global leader in solar power and advancing the nation's economic development and diversification towards its net-zero goal." 

While TAQA owns 40% of the project, the remaining partners own 20% stake each. The project had made news in May 2020 with a winning bid of AED 4.97 ($0.0135)/kWh, back then considered the world's lowest. (see 2 GW Abu Dhabi Solar Project Partners Announced). Masdar says the tariff was further lowered after financial close at AED 4.85 ($0.0132)/kWh. 

Inaugurated by the Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Hazza Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the project has come online ahead of the United Nations' COP28 that the UAE is to host from November 30, 2023 to December 12, 2023. 

Earlier this month, Masdar commissioned the largest floating solar power plant in Southeast Asia with 192 MW capacity, in Indonesia (see SE Asia's Largest Floating Solar Plant Inaugurated).