The Saudi state-owned renewables developer Masdar has begun construction on a giant solar-plus-storage project in Abu Dhabi.
The roughly AED232 billion (US$5.9 billion) project combines 5.2GW of solar PV with a 19GWh battery energy storage system (BESS), which Masdar claimed was the “largest and most technologically advanced system of its kind in the world.”
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The project is expected online in 2027. Developed alongside the Emirates Water and Electric Company (EWEC), the project will be capable of delivering 1GW of baseload energy around the clock, Masdar said. The company claimed the site will “overcome intermittency” and produce baseload, round-the-clock energy at “a globally competitive tariff”. “Round-the-clock” facilities are already being built and contracted elsewhere, though rarely at this scale.
A report from energy market analyst Wood Mackenzie this week found that the Middle East and Africa recorded the lowest levelised cost of energy (LCOE) for solar PV in the world.
Masdar claimed the project features “cutting-edge technologies”, including a virtual power plant (VPP), grid-forming and black start capabilities and AI-enhanced forecasting and intelligent dispatch. It will reportedly provide power to the AI sector, potentially to data centres, though comments from EWEC CEO, Ahmed Ali Alshamsi, did not clarify any specific offtakers or facilities:
“Abu Dhabi and the UAE are a global hub for artificial intelligence research, innovation, and adoption, and this project will ensure that the energy needs of this key sector are met sustainably, powering the next generation of economic growth,” Alshamsi said.
“This gigascale project is a step towards redefining the role of renewable energy for the information age,” said Sultan Al Jaber, chairman of Masdar, head of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Emirati minister of industry and advanced technology.
In January, Masdar announced supply deals with Chinese solar manufacturers JA Solar and Jinko Solar to supply the 5.2GW site’s PV modules, and POWERCHINA and India’s Larsen and Toubro are the project’s preferred engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractors. Chinese energy storage firm CATL will supply the BESS for the site, as covered by our sister site Energy-storage.news.
The scale of this project is remarkable, even for Masdar, which has become a major developer of GW-scale PV projects in the Middle East and North Africa. Earlier this month, the company won a contract to develop a 1.5GW PV project in Abu Dhabi alongside French energy utility Engie.
