Abu Dhabi inaugurated its largest solar PV plant to date in November, with the 2GW Al Dhafra plant bringing total installed renewables capacity to 3.2GW (MEES, 24 November 2023). As it seeks to decarbonize its power sector, state offtaker Ewec has also recently awarded contracts for the new 1.5GW Al Ajban solar PV plant which is due online in mid-2026.
Momentum is clearly building in Abu Dhabi’s solar sector, but Ewec is calling for much more. Ewec is mandated by Abu Dhabi’s Department of Energy’s (DoE) Clean Energy Strategic Target (CEST) to ensure that clean energy (including nuclear) will account for 60% of power generation by 2035, and in order to achieve this it is calling for an average of 1.4GW new solar PV to be installed annually over the period 2027-2037. Clean energy accounted for 24% of electricity generation in 2022. (CONTINUED - 591 WORDS)
