Could the world-record low tariff of $0.299/kWh agreed for the 800 MW Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park in Dubai be bested within a matter of days?
That is the hope of Masdar and Frances EDF, who have jointly bid to develop the 350 MW Sweihan solar park in neighboring Abu Dhabi. Speaking at a televised press conference held today, Masdars director of clean energy, Bader Al Lamki, said that, while the nature of all solar bids is specific, "if similar parameters are available, there will be a good probability that the [Dubai] number is achieved".
At the weekend Masdar confirmed that it had secured the rights to develop the 800 MW solar farm in Dubai from the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) at a tariff of just 2.99 U.S. cents per kilowatt hour.
Today, the firm said that, alongside its partners EDF, it plans to make the Abu Dhabi bid as competitive as the Dubai tender, with the increasingly low costs of solar panels and a potentially easier install in Abu Dhabi converging to lower projected costs per kilowatt hour for the project.
Coming hot on the heels of the DEWA tender, Abu Dhabis tangible embrace of solar PV marks a definitive shift beyond mere words and plans, and will be pivotal in weaning the UAE off its oil- and gas-based energy generation makeup.
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