ACWA enlists Shanghai Electric as EPC for fifth phase of Dubai’s Mohammed bin Rashid mega-project

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Phase 1 of the Mohammed bin Rashid solar park, completed in 2013. Image: DEWA.

ACWA Power has once again turned to Chinese EPC Shanghai Electric to be the engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the fifth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Solar Park in Dubai.

Saudi Arabian developer ACWA confirmed yesterday that it had appointed Shanghai Electric as EPC for the latest phase of the mammoth solar project having collaborated with the company a number of times previously.

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A significant cog in Dubai’s clean energy strategy, the Mohammed bin Rashid Solar Park comprises both photovoltaic and concentrated solar power technologies and will boast a total capacity of around 5GW once complete.

The fifth phase of the project will see 900MW of solar PV added to the complex, to be built in three stages and Shanghai Electric will be tasked with completing each 300MWp tranche within a period of 12 months.

Dubai Electric and Water Authority announced the tender for the 900MW fifth phase in February last year, a competition which in October was revealed to have witnessed a then-world record lowest tariff at US$0.016953/kWh. ACWA was quickly said to be the party behind the bid, which was then confirmed in April 2020 when ACWA penned a 25-year power purchase agreement with DEWA.  

Last year ACWA and Shanghai Electric signed an MOU under which the duo would co-develop renewables projects across the globe, cementing the latter’s expansion under China’s Belt & Road initiative. Upon signing the contract yesterday, Shanghai Electric chairman Zheng Jianhua said the work would be “another milestone in the bilateral cooperative track” between the two companies.

“We are delighted to have been a reliable and trusted partner for DEWA’s ambitious goals and remain committed to building on our strong relationships with both Shanghai Electric and DEWA, leveraging our combined expertise, technical insights and pioneering technologies to create a legacy of success,” Mohammad Abunayyan, chairman at ACWA Power, said.

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