Dubai has launched the world’s largest concentrated solar power (CSP) plant as part of the 950 MW fourth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in the UAE. The vice president and prime minister of the UAE launched the project. Three hybrid technologies are included in the fourth phase: 250 MW of photovoltaic solar panels, a 100 MW CSP tower, and a 600 MW parabolic basin complex. The project also features 70,000 heliostats that track the movement of the sun. The fourth phase can store 5.9 GWh of thermal energy. The CSP tower is the tallest in the world at 263 m.
The phase was developed and built by Noor Energy 1, which will also run it. The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) owns 51 per cent of Noor Energy 1, Acwa Power owns 25 per cent and the Chinese Silk Road Fund owns the remaining 24 per cent. With a $4.3 billion investment, this project was constructed under an independent power producer approach. In addition to generating clean energy for 320,000 households, it will cut 1.6 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
In September 2023, UAE energy company Masdar reached an agreement with DEWA to build and operate the 1.8 GW sixth phase of the project. In September 2022, DEWA received bids from four international firms for the consultancy contract for the sixth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. The company stated that the next phase of the 5 GW field will have a power generation potential of 900 MW. After completion of the project in 2030, it is expected to have a capacity of 5 GW of solar and CSP capacity.
