A $4.4 billion (£3.6bn) project, which claims to be ‘the world’s largest concentrated solar power plant’ has managed to progress with construction despite the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Noor Energy 1 facility is a hybrid 700MW concentrated solar power (CSP) and 250MW photovoltaic (PV) plant and is being built for the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) by a consortium led by DEWA and ACWA Power.

They say the project will increase the share of the city’s clean energy to 25% by 2030, allowing a saving of 1.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Gilein Steensma, Worley’s Vice President EMEA, Energy Transition, said: “It’s a credit to every stakeholder involved that this strategically important project has progressed minimising schedule impacts despite facing significant logistical, staffing and supply chain challenges.

“It is a real testament to the commitment of the UAE to lead on the energy transition and showcases the combination of geographical distribution and strong capabilities of the contractors and subcontractors to adapt their approach to work around Covid-19 on what was already a technically challenging build.”