Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has announced an increase in the production capacity of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park to 3,860 megawatts (MW). This expansion is achieved through photovoltaic (PV) solar panels and concentrated solar power (CSP) technologies. The addition of 800MW from the park’s sixth phase has raised clean energy to approximately 21.5% of DEWA’s total energy production.
HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, stated that their strategies are aligned with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to promote a sustainable green economy. “The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is our key project to realise this vision and achieve the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050,” said Al Tayer. By 2030, it is expected that the park’s production capacity will reach 7,260MW, contributing to reducing carbon emissions by eight million tonnes annually.
The solar park was launched with its first phase in October 2013, producing 13MW using PV solar panels. The second phase was inaugurated in March 2017 with a capacity of 200MW, utilizing PV technology under an independent power producer model. In November 2020, a third phase with a capacity of 800MW was introduced, incorporating single-axis solar tracking technology.
In December 2023, the fourth phase began operations with a total capacity of 950MW using CSP and PV panels. The fifth phase followed in June 2023 with a capacity of 900MW using photovoltaic panels. DEWA is now focused on completing the sixth phase which will have a capacity of 1,800MW.
DEWA has also invited international developers for the seventh phase of the solar park which will add another potential capacity of up to 2,000MW using PV panels and a battery energy storage system providing six hours of storage. This development aims to position it as one of the largest solar-plus-storage projects globally.
