UAE Hydro recently announced that it has completed the bidding for the world’s largest single solar power station AlDhafra photovoltaic power generation project in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Abu Dhabi National Energy Corporation, EDF, China Jinko Technology and another UAE local company won the bid , And signed a 30-year long-term power purchase agreement.
Jasim Husain ThTabet, CEO of Abu Dhabi National Energy Company, said: “The large installed capacity and low electricity price prove the feasibility of promoting the development of the renewable energy industry at the national level. The AlDhafra project will become a benchmark project in our energy sector.”
Power generation will meet the electricity demand of about 160,000 households
After the AlDhafra project is completed, it will become the world's largest single solar power station. According to the official estimate of Abu Dhabi Energy Company, after the project is completed and put into operation, the power generation will be able to meet the electricity demand of about 160,000 UAE households, and increase the total installed photovoltaic capacity of Abu Dhabi to about 3.2 GW, which can be reduced annually. More than 3.6 million tons of carbon emissions are equivalent to reducing the emissions of 720,000 vehicles on the road.
Not only that, the power generation cost of the project also hit a record low global renewable energy power generation cost. The power generation cost of the project is only US$13.5/MWh, which is lower than the record of US$16.44/MWh set by a photovoltaic power generation project in Portugal in 2019.
As one of the winning bidders for the AlDhafra project in Abu Dhabi, China Jinko Technology and UAE Hydropower Corporation formally signed a 30-year power purchase agreement. Previously, Jinko Technology and EDF formed a consortium to participate in the bidding for the project, and ranked first in the public announcement results of UAE Hydropower in April 2020 with a historic price of 1.35 cents/kWh.
After the completion of the AlDhafra project, it will help promote Abu Dhabi’s energy transition and sustainable development; it will also be a milestone photovoltaic project in the green energy field under China’s “Belt and Road” initiative, which can further enhance the Chinese brand’s presence in the international photovoltaic power generation market. Influence and competitive position play a role as a technology demonstration and benchmark for the entire photovoltaic industry.
