A consortium consisting of Acciona, Grupo Gransolar and Ghella has completed the construction of the 200MW first stage of Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park III in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Image: Acciona completes 200MW first stage of solar park in Dubai. Photo: Courtesy of ACCIONA.
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is expected to have a peak power of 1.05GW, upon completion.
In December 2016, the consortium was awarded the contract by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), Masdar and EDF. ACCIONA Industrial, Grupo Gransolar and Ghella had carried out the construction under a turnkey engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) model.
ACCIONA Industrial, Middle East director David de Lara said: “This is a very important milestone for us. We trust that this project will become a reference in the region and that other countries and private customers will turn to renewable energies.”
In the first stage, 806,992 photovoltaic panels were installed along with 198 inverters and the 132kV grid connection substation using innovative GIS technology. When the whole project is completed in 2020, over million photovoltaic panels with single-axis trackers are expected to be installed for clean energy generation.
Once operational, the solar park is expected to offset about 1.4 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.
Ghella Middle East area manager Marco Fontana said: “We are very proud to have completed the first stage of such an emblematic project as this one and to have it achieved without compromising on quality and safety.
“2,5 million man hours without an accident is an important milestone that reflects one of the core values of our Company.”
The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park, which is claimed to be the largest single-site solar park in the world based on the IPP model, is expected to contribute to the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050.