By King’s Office Correspondents
DUBAI, UAE – His Majesty the King today visited the world’s largest single-site solar power park based on the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model here in Dubai.
The multi-billion-dollar Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is expected to produce 5,000 megawatts by the year 2030 upon completion, costing a total of AED 50 billion (approximately E250 billion).
Taking His Majesty the King around this vast project was Dr Aaesha Alnuaimi, the director of the Sustainability and Innovation Centre at the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), who told him about the conceptualisation and objectives of this solar park.
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Accompanying the King was Inkhosikati LaMahlangu, Emazinyane, Prince David, Princess Nomathemba, Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Pholile Shakantu, Ambassador to UAE Sifiso Dlamini, Honorary Consular Rafi Nourafchan.
The project, which is in its fifth phase, is currently producing 950 MW and is expected to deliver 1800 MW by next year.
Dr Alnuaimi told His Majesty that by the time the project is done, it will save over 6.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park contributed to DEWA winning the Best Sustainable Project of the Year in the UAE at the 2014 MEED Quality Awards.
Majesty’s delegation comprised of members of the royal family, cabinet ministers and senior government officials.
This was the first time this award was given to a renewable energy project in the Middle East and North Africa.
She said DEWA is anticipating and shaping the future of energy using innovative disruptive technologies in the production, transmission, and distribution of electricity and water.
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This will transform Dubai into a global centre for clean energy and the green economy.
The Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Emissions Strategy 2050 aim to provide 100 per cent of the energy production capacity from clean energy sources by 2050.
To achieve this, DEWA is developing the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in phases to eventually generate 5,000 MW from photovoltaic and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technologies.
