At an official ceremony on 23 August ACWA Power officially inaugurated the 300 MW first stage of the 900 MW Shuaa Energy 3 PSC, which is the fifth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai.
The inauguration of the project marks a transformative moment in Dubai's continued energy transition and energy diversification strategies, and its development plans. The 900 MW fifth phase was awarded to an ACWA Power led consortium at a world record tariff of 1.6953 dollar cents per kWh in 2020 and brings the current production capacity of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park to 1313 MW.
Once fully operational, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park will be the largest single-site solar park in the world based on the Independent Power Producer model, with a planned production capacity of 5000 MW.
Shuaa Energy 3 PSC is the special purpose vehicle incorporated for the project, 60 % owned by the Dubai Electricity & Water Authority, with remaining 40% split between ACWA Power and Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC).
The project will feature a state-of-the-art automated solar panel cleaning system, with 2662 automatic cleaning robots positioned around the plant. The system guarantees a cleaning factor of 99.3%, further optimising the productivity and operational capability of the plant.
The 13 MW photovoltaic first phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park became operational in 2013. The 200MW photovoltaic second phase of the solar park, developed by ACWA Power, was launched in March 2017. Work on the fourth phase 950 MW, CSP and PV hybrid Noor Energy 1 is underway and on track by an ACWA Power led consortium. The fifth phase of the solar park is expected to be commissioned in phases later this year.
ACWA Power has inaugurated the 300 MW first stage of Shuaa Energy 3 PSC (Photo: ACWA)
