200 MW Connected To Grid In Dubai

• 200 MW PV capacity has come online at Dubai's Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park
• Masdar and EDF led consortium had won the contract to develop total 800 MW at the park; 200 MW represents first stage of this capacity
• 300 MW each will be completed in the second and third stages by 2019 and 2020, respectively to bring all of 800 MW online

Dubai has officially switched on 200 MW PV capacity of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. This capacity represents stage one of the 800 MW large third phase of the park.

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) had awarded the contract to develop 800 MW capacity to a consortium led by Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) in 2016. The consortium had offered the lowest winning bid of $2.99 cents per kWh (see DEWA Selects Masdar Consortium). Other members of the consortium originally were Spanish companies Fotowatio Renewable Ventures and Gransolar Group. In March 2017, EDF EN joined the consortium.

This project is EDF's first renewable energy project in the UAE. Solar power generated by this 200 MW plant will be enough to provide more than 60,000 homes with clean energy.

 "The remaining stages of the third phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park are currently under construction to generate a further 600 MW, for a total of 800 MW by 2020,"said DEWA MD and CEO Mohammed Al Tayer.

 The total capacity of the PV and Concentrated Solar Power IPP–based projects is 1,500 MW. "After the inauguration of this leading milestone, solar power will now generate 4% of Dubai's total installed capacity," added Al Tayer.

The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is scheduled to have 5 GW capacity by 2030, the expected investment is 50 billion AED ($13.6 billion).