Tower construction at Solar Park nears 90 per cent completion

A team from DEWA have inspected progress at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest concentrated solar power project in the world.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), has inspected progress on the 950 megawatt fourth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) project globally. 

Upon completion, the project will have the largest thermal storage capacity in the world of 15 hours, allowing for energy availability round the clock.

The fourth phase will provide clean energy for around 320,000 homes and reduce 1.6 million tonnes of carbon emissions every year.

The park also features the world’s tallest solar power tower at 262 metres. The concrete part of the solar power tower is now complete at a height of 222 metres.

Progress in the solar tower is around 87 per cent, and represents 10 million safe working hours without injuries.

The Molten Salt Receiver (MSR) was built and assembled on top of the tower in a remarkable construction process in June 2020.

The pallets and tubes that transfer the molten salt inside the solar tower have also been completed.

The MSR is the centre and the most important part of the CSP plant. It receives solar radiation and turns it into thermal energy.

Al Tayer and a number of executive vice presidents and officials at DEWA also reviewed work progress at the Visitors’ Centre.

Almost 83 per cent of the overall project’s first phase has been completed. This includes the solar power tower, the parabolic basin complex, and the photovoltaic solar panels.

Abdul Hamid Al Muhaidib, Executive Managing Director of Noor Energy 1, briefed Al Tayer on progress of the project, construction workflow and continuity.

Noor Energy 1 is owned by DEWA, ACWA Power from Saudi Arabia, and the Silk Road Fund, which is owned by the Chinese Government.

The phase uses the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model with investments up to AED 15.78 billion.

It covers 44 square kilometres and has broken many world records, including the lowest Levelised Cost of Electricity (LCOE) of USD 7.3 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for the 700MW CSP and USD 2.4 cents per kWh for the 250MW photovoltaic solar panels.