The seventh phase development will increase the solar park’s planned production capacity from 5,000MW to 7,260MW.
This phase will feature a power generation capacity of 1,600MW and includes a 1,000MW battery energy storage system, making it one of the largest solar-plus-storage projects globally.
Expandable to 2,000MW, it will utilise photovoltaic solar panels while the battery energy storage system will have six hours of storage capacity. This configuration will provide a total storage capacity of 6,000 megawatt hours (MWh).
The project will be implemented under the independent power producer (IPP) model.
DEWA has set a deadline of 21 March 2025 for international developers or consortia to submit their expressions of interest.
With an expected annual output of 4.5 terawatt hours of electricity, phase seven will help avoid the use of more than 36 billion cubic feet of natural gas.
It is set to begin operations gradually, with different stages expected to roll out between 2027 and 2029.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park currently has a production capacity of 3,460MW, with another 1,200MW still under construction.
The seventh phase development will increase the solar park’s planned production capacity from 5,000MW to 7,260MW, raising the share of clean energy in the city’s energy mix from 27% to 34% by 2030.
As a result, the solar park’s total carbon dioxide offset capacity will rise from 6.5 million tonnes (mt) to 8mt per year.
DEWA commissioned eight new 132kV transmission substations in the first half of 2024 to improve the efficiency and reliability of Dubai’s 132kV transmission network.
The substations, capable of converting 1,200 megavoltamperes (MVA), involved an investment of Dh1.36bn ($370m).
