The UAE has unveiled the Al Dhafra Solar PV project, now the world’s largest single-site solar plant. This 2GW facility, a collaborative effort between Masdar, the Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA), EDF Renewables, and JinkoPower, is situated 35 kilometers from Abu Dhabi city, covering over 20 square kilometers of desert.
Equipped with four million bifacial solar panels from JinkoPower, the plant is designed to maximize solar yield. Its capacity to generate clean electricity can power 200,000 homes while preventing 2.4 million tonnes of carbon emissions each year.
The project, which created 4,500 jobs during construction, is a testament to the UAE’s commitment to clean energy, especially as it gears up to host the UN climate change conference COP28. TAQA holds a 40% stake, with the remaining partners each holding 20%.
Notably, the Al Dhafra project has achieved the world’s lowest tariff for solar energy at Dh4.97/kWh ($0.0135/kWh), which further reduced to Dh4.85/kWh ($0.0132/kWh) at financial closure. The Emirates Water and Electricity Company will procure the generated power.
Sheikh Hazza Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi’s deputy ruler, emphasized the UAE’s ongoing commitment to clean energy and climate action. Jasim Husain Thabet, TAQA group CEO, also highlighted the project’s significance in demonstrating what can be achieved through partnership and technological progress.
The China Machinery Engineering Corporation was the engineering, procurement, and construction contractor for this groundbreaking project.