US$9.45 cents per kW/h lowest int'l bid for 200MW solar power plant: Dubai utility Dewa

DUBAI, 7th June, 2017 (WAM) -- Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, DEWA, on Tuesday said it has received the lowest international bid of US$9.45 cents per kilowatt hour, kW/h, for a 200 megawatt Concentrated Solar Power, CSP, plant, which is the fourth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the biggest single-site solar park in the world that is based on the independent power producer, IPP, model. The CSP plant will be operational by April 2021, with other CSP projects eventually generating a total of 1,000 MW by 2030, said Dewa, noting that bids from four international consortiums were opened today at its head office. Last October Dewa had invited energy companies to send expressions of interest for the 200 MW solar CSP plant. By the month-end, 30 international solar IPP players had sent EOIs. The request for proposals, RFP, was released to qualified bidders in January and the last date for submission of the tender was May. "The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is the biggest single-site solar park in the world that is based on the IPP model. It will generate 1,000 MW by 2020 and 5,000 MW by 2030. The 13 MW photovoltaic first phase became operational in 2013. The 200 MW photovoltaic second phase of the solar park was launched in March 2017. The 800 MW photovoltaic third phase will be operational by 2020, and the 200 MW CSP fourth phase will be operational by 2021," stated Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dewa, in an emailed press release. Dewa's achievements, he said, support the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to provide seven per cent of Dubai’s total power output from clean energy by 2020, 25 per cent by 2030, and 75 per cent by 2050." "This will transform Dubai into a global hub for clean energy and a green economy. The UAE’s focus on renewable energy generation has led to a drop in prices worldwide and has lowered the price of solar and wind power bids in Europe and the Middle East," noted Al Tayer. http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302617855