Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar), in collaboration with Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA), EDF Renewables, JinkoPower, and Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC), has opened the world’s largest single-site solar power plant.
The 2 GigaWatt Dhafra Solar Photovoltaic Independent Power Project was inaugurated by Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi, in the presence of General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior.
The solar plant, located 35 kilometers from Abu Dhabi city, is built in a single phase and generates enough electricity to power almost 200,000 homes, reducing 2.4 million metric tons of carbon emissions every year.
As the UAE prepares to host COP28, this pioneering project reflects the country’s ongoing commitment to raising its share of clean energy, reducing its carbon emissions, and supporting global efforts on climate action. We are witnessing, day after day, project after project, that the UAE is at the global forefront of developing and adopting innovative clean energy solutions. We are achieving energy security while also contributing to building a bright future for future generations.
Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed shared.
Al Dhafra Solar PV spans more than 20 square kilometers of desert and employed 4,500 people during the peak of the construction phase. It uses almost 4 million solar panels, which deploy innovative bi-facial technology, ensuring sunlight is captured on both sides of the panels to maximize yield.
Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Chairman of Masdar, and COP28 President-Designate, commended the plant’s strategic importance and its role in enhancing national energy security.
D. Al Jaber remarked that “Al Dhafra is part of a long and proud history of energy innovation, made possible thanks to the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. This world-leading solar project demonstrates remarkable progress in solar power efficiency, innovation, and cost competitiveness, setting a new record-low tariff. To create Al Dhafra, Masdar brought together three partners from around the world: TAQA, the EDF of France, and Jinko Power of China.”
“With just days to go before the start of COP28, I will be asking the world to unite and deliver the energy transition by tripling renewable capacity and doubling energy efficiency by 2030. Al Dhafra is an example of the scale of the ambition needed around the world,” the COP28 President-Designate added.