Abu Dhabi offtaker Ewec has signed a world-beating 30-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for its planned 2GW Al Dhafra solar PV plant. Once fully operational by H2 2022, Al Dhafra will boost Abu Dhabi’s solar power capacity to nearly 3.3GW. After including Dubai’s projects, the wider-UAE total will be 6.1GW.
Ewec (Emirates Water and Electricity Company) announced the award on 26 July, confirming that the PPA is at a record-low tariff for solar power of just US¢1.35/kWh (MEES, 1 May). This is considerably lower than the previous record of US¢1.57/kWh which was set for neighboring Qatar’s Al Kharsaah as recently as January (MEES, 24 January). With Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman stating in June that he’s confident the kingdom will soon award a record-low-tariff solar project, Al Dhafra’s primacy may be short-lived (MEES, 26 June). (CONTINUED - 1048 WORDS)
