Taqa, Masdar consortium wins 2GW Abu Dhabi solar project

Taqa, Masdar consortium wins 2GW Abu Dhabi solar project

Leading energy companies Taqa and Masdar said their consortium with partners French group EDF and China's JinkoPower has been awarded a major contract by Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) to develop the world's largest solar power plant at Al Dhafra region of the emirate.

EWEC, a leading company in the coordination of planning, purchasing and providing of water and electricity across the UAE, signed the power purchase agreement and shareholders' agreement for the 2 GW Al Dhafra Independent Power Producer (IPP) project, which will be located 35 km from Abu Dhabi city. 

Upon full commercial operation, the plant is expected to reduce Abu Dhabi's CO2 emissions by more than 2.4 million metric tonnes per year, equivalent to removing approximately 470,000 cars from the road.

Through this project, 60% will be owned by a consortium comprising Taqa and Masdar, while the remaining 40% will be owned by EDF and JinkoPower. The project's financial closure is expected to occur in Q3 2020, enabling initial power generation in H1 2022 and full generation by H2 2022. 

Once fully operational, the plant will increase Abu Dhabi's solar power capacity to approximately 3.2 GW.

The rigorous procurement process resulted in one of the most