The UAE is planning to completely operationalise one of its solar power projects before the next Conference of Parties under UNFCCC (COP-28) kicks in this year. The Al Dhafra solar power project will be one of the largest in the world once it comes online fully. The next COP will take place in the UAE.
The Arabian country wants to generate renewable energy that could meet half of its power by 2050 and achieve net-zero carbon emissions by the middle of this century.
The Al Dhafra solar power project near Abu Dhabi will generate 2.1 gigawatts of green energy that will power 160,000 homes.
The solar power project employs solar panels that are double sided, solar tracker and is spread over an area of more than 5000 acres.
The Al Dhafra solar plant is owned 60 per cent by TAQA and Masdar. The rest is owned by a consortium of EDF Renewables and Jinko Power Technology. The players call the solar facility the largest single-site solar plant on the planet.
The French – Emirati Alliance on RE and Decarbonization
France’s Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire met Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology for cooperation in the field of renewable energy yesterday.
UAE and France have agreed to launch a bilateral program that combines French and Emirati expertise to develop commercial and investable opportunities to accelerate clean energy development, notably in the decarbonization of hard-to-abate (HTA) industries, including clean hydrogen solutions for mobility.
Until now, Industrial leaders from both countries have partnered in the development, investment, and operation of over 6.2 gigawatts (GW) of clean and renewable energy programs across the globe, notably two of the largest single-site solar projects in the world, located in the UAE. They have also mobilized over $6 billion in investment, displacing some 10 million tons of carbon dioxide annually.
The program’s operations will be officially launched during COP28.
