Emirates Water and Electricity Company receives 4 bids for 1,500MW Al Ajban Solar Photovoltaic Independent Power Project

ABU DHABI, 10th July, 2023 (WAM) — Emirates Water and Electricity Company, (EWEC) a leading company in the integrated coordination of planning, purchasing, and supply of water and electricity across the UAE, has received four bid proposals from ACWA Power, EDF Renewables, Marubeni Corporation, and a consortium consisting of Jinko Power and JERA, for the development of the 1,500MW Al Ajban solar photovoltaic (PV) Independent Power Project (IPP).

Al Ajban Solar PV is EWEC’s third world-leading solar power project, making Abu Dhabi home to three of the world’s largest single-site solar power plants.

Once commercially operational, the project will generate enough electricity to power approximately 160,000 homes across the UAE, and is expected to reduce Abu Dhabi’s CO2 emissions by up to 2.4 million tonnes per year. The plant will also raise EWEC’s total solar power capacity to approximately 4 gigawatts (GW).

The Al Ajban Solar PV project plays a pivotal role in enabling EWEC to achieve its strategic plans of raising Abu Dhabi’s solar power generation capacity to 7.3GW by 2030, and supplying 60 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s total power demand from renewable and clean energy sources by 2035.

EWEC’s renewable energy plants set a global benchmark for world-class utility-scale renewable energy projects, reinforcing Abu Dhabi and the UAE’s position as an international leader in addressing pressing climate change challenges during the Year of Sustainability ahead of COP28 UAE and beyond.

Othman Al Ali, Chief Executive Officer of EWEC, said: “Al Ajban Solar PV demonstrates EWEC’s accumulative expertise in commissioning and deploying world-leading innovative, emission-free utility projects to secure and dIspatch sustainable and reliable power supply across the UAE. EWEC’s renewable energy projects are further strengthening the UAE’s position as a global leader and role model in planning and implementing strategic tangible actions to realise long term socio-economic and sustainability objectives. Receiving these competitive bids demonstrates our expertise in commissioning world-leading renewable energy projects that attract internationally renowned companies to collaborate on achieving the UAE’s carbon-neutral future.”

EWEC received 43 Expressions of Interest from potential bidding companies and consortiums, with 19 qualifying for the Request for Proposals (RFP) stage after submitting Statements of Qualification. Moving forward, the proposals will undergo a detailed technical and commercial evaluation process to select the best proposal. The awarding announcement and the execution of the Power Purchase Agreement are expected to take place by Q4 2023.