French energy firm EDF Energies Nouvelles has joined the Masdar-led consortium developing the 800-megawatt (MW) Phase 3 of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai.
The company purchased the project stake previous owned by Saudi Arabia-based conglomerate Abdul Latif Jameel through its solar power subsidiary FRV.
“The Middle East is a strategic area for EDF which has strong ambitions for renewable energies,” said Antoine Cahuzac, chief executive of EDF Energies Nouvelles. “This 800MW solar project realised alongside Masdar, a key player in renewables, seals a major long-term partnership.”
An international consortium led by the renewable energy contractor GranSolar from Spain, alongside Spains Acciona, and Italys Ghella is the EPC contractor for the plant which will be built in theree phases.
The 200MW Phase A is currently under construction, and is due for completion by April next year. The 300MW Phase B is expected to come on stream in April 2019, while the final 300MW tranche, Phase C, is scheduled for April 2020.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park, the largest single-site solar park in the world, has a planned capacity of 5,000 megawatts by 2030, and a total investment of $14bn (AED50bn).
Phase 2 of the project, with a production capacity of 200MW, was inaugurated last week by Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.