JinkoSolar in deal to build 1.2GWp solar plant in Abu Dhabi

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
JinkoSolar and Marubeni had previously submitted the lowest ever bid for solar PV capacity, at just US$0.0242/kWh for a planned 350MWp solar plant in Sweihan. Image ADWEA

Leading ‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) member JinkoSolar has established a consortium with Marubeni Corporation and the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Company to build a 1,177MWp (DC) PV power plant in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

A special purpose company jointly owned by the consortium will construct, operate and maintain the PV plant for the duration of a signed 25-year PPA. The project was said to be located in the Eastern Region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, approximately 120 km east of the city of Abu Dhabi in Sweihan. 

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

JinkoSolar and Marubeni originally submitted a bid for the 1,177MWp solar PV capacity, with a base tariff of just US$0.0242/kWh.

PV Tech understands that the true LCOE in Sweihan was much higher than the base tariff of US$0.0242/kWh. In order to reduce the amount of gas to be imported in summer for power production, ADWEA stipulated that the tariffs quoted would be multiplied by a factor of 1.6 in the months from June to September, which would mean a temporarily elevated tariff of US$0.0387/kWh. Taking this into account, the actual LCOE would be US$0.0294/kWh, which is remarkably close to the low results seen in the Dubai tender from DEWA earlier in 2016 (US$0.0299/kWh).

“Today's important milestone is a highly significant event for both the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and also for the global Solar PV market,” commented H.E Abdullah Ali Musleh Al Ahbabi, Chairman of ADWEA. “Not only will the Project, once constructed, be the world's largest single utility scale solar PV plant, but the price of net electrical energy that we have agreed to today is one of the most competitive prices seen to date in the Solar PV industry.”

“We are excited to be a part of the significant milestone project to co-develop with ADWEC and Marubeni. The execution of the PPA demonstrates our strong technical skills, reliable high-efficiency products and development capabilities,” commented Xiande Li, Chairman of JinkoSolar. “We are proud of making a significant contribution to the development of the solar industry in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.”

Financial agreements for the massive project, the largest expected in the region should close in April 2017, according to JinkoSolar with commercial operation expected to begin in 2019.

JinkoSolar recently guided 2017 PV module shipments to be in the range of 8.5GW and 9.0GW, a potentially astonishing sequential growth rate after reporting 6.65GW of module shipments in 2016, an increase of 47.5% from 4.5GW in 2015.

This article has been updated to include an explanation of the true LCOE of the Sweihan project and the fact that the original bid was for 1,117MW capacity.

8 October 2024
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 8-9 October 2024 is our second PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The event in 2023 was a sell out success and 2024 will once again gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing in the U.S. out to 2030 and beyond.

Read Next

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
April 10, 2024
Dallas, Texas USA
Solar Media Events
April 17, 2024
Lisbon, Portugal
Solar Media Events
May 1, 2024
Dallas, Texas
Solar Media Events
May 21, 2024
Napa, USA