Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has received huge interested from companies interested in developing the next phase of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park.
A total of 30 Expressions of Interest (EOI) arrived ahead of the 27 October deadline for its planned 200 megawatt (MW) project, the utility said in a statement.
This will be the fourth phase of the solar park, which will be the largest single-site strategic solar energy project of its kind in the world, based on the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model.
DEWA commissioned the 13MW first phase in 2013 while the 200MW second phase is under construction and will be operational by 2017. In June, DEWA selected a Masdar-led consortium for the 800MW third phase to be completed by 2020.
The fourth phase will use Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technology, unlike the previous phases which used solar photovoltaic (PV) modules, better known as solar panels.
This 200MW CSP Plant will be operational by April 2021, since we intend to continue generating power using CSP technology to reach 1,000MW by 2030, said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.
With investments of AED 50bn ($586mn), the total capacity of the Solar Park will reach 1,000 MW by 2020, and 5000MW by 2030.