DubaiAims For 10MW Solar Plant Start-Up In 2013

Dubai announced on 9 January that it will start operating a $32.4mn, 10mw capacity solar power plant by the end of 2013. It is part of a planned, $3.27bn, 1gw capacity solar complex that it aims to build by 2030. The Muhammad bin Rashid Al Maktum Solar Park, named after the Ruler of Dubai, will employ both photo-voltaic (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) technologies.

The plant will be operated by state-owned power utility Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), which has 7.361gw of installed power generation capacity. The Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030 aims for 1% of the emirate’s power by 2020 and 5% by 2030 to provide by solar plants. Gas-starved Dubai imports LNG, burns diesel, and plans to build a coal-fired power plant. Neighboring Abu Dhabi plans to build a $600mn, 100mw solar plant, but looks set to miss its 7% renewable energy target for 2020.

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