Dubai Solar: Masdar The Frontrunner For MBR Phase Six

16 Jun 2023 Issue: 66 / 24 By: Jamie Ingram

Solar accounted for a record 8.8% of Dubai’s 2022 power generation, and it’s set to rise again in 2023. Driven by ambitious long-term targets, state-led utility Dewa is finalizing details for Phase 6 of its MBR solar park, with Abu Dhabi’s Masdar the lowest bidder.

Abu Dhabi state firm Masdar has submitted the lowest bid for the sixth phase of Dubai’s Muhammad bin Rashid (MBR) solar park. The firm is the favorite to secure the contract to develop the next phase of the facility, with Dubai state-led utility Dewa saying it aims to select the preferred bidder in Q3.

Dewa kicked off the procurement process for MBR Phase 6 in September 2022, when the project was initially conceived to have capacity of 900MW. This has now been doubled to 1.8GW, making it by far the largest phase at the MBR complex. The AED5.57bn ($1.52bn) Phase 6 will be brought online in stages from 4Q 2024, with the plant due to be completed in 2026. Upon completion, total MBR capacity will reach 4.66GW, up from 2.327GW currently. Dewa targets total capacity of 5GW at MBR by 2030. (CONTINUED - 797 WORDS)