A further 1 GW of solar is operational at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the world’s largest single-site solar park, located in the United Arab Emirates.
Work is currently underway on the sixth phase of the project that will add a total of 1.8 GW of solar to the site, which is being implemented by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) under an independent power producer (IPP) model.
An update published by the government of Dubai confirms the sixth phase is approximately 68.59% complete, having reached the 1 GW threshold, with the remaining 800 MW under construction.
Over 2.2 million solar panels have been installed to date, with the number on track to reach over 3.9 million by the time the current phase of work is completed next year.
To date, the solar park’s cumulative production capacity stands at over 3.8 GW, according to figures published by DEWA. By the end of the decade, its capacity is expected to reach over 7.2 GW, exceeding the original 5 GW target, and will contribute to around 34% of Dubai’s total electricity capacity.
In February, DEWA issued a call for developers to assist with the seventh phase of the project on an IPP basis. The tendered solar facility will have a capacity ranging between 1.6 GW and 2 GW and will be connected to 1 GW of battery capacity, making it one of the largest solar-plus-storage projects in the world.
In April, DEWA Managing Director and CEO Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer announced that 47 global companies had expressed interest in developing the next phase.
