The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has invited expressions of interest (EOI) from leading developer/developer consortia to build and operate a solar photovoltaic power project in the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park (MBR Solar Park).

The facility, which is being developed as an Independent Power Project (IPP), will be commissioned in phases starting from Q3 2025.

The project is being set up as part of the Solar Photovoltaic Power Project Phase VI in MBR Solar Park, DEWA noted. According to the utility major, the deadline for sending the EoIs has been set for 10 October.

In January 2022, Abengoa announced the completion of solar fields at MBR Solar Park while, in August 2022, DEWA noted that construction work on the 950MW fourth phase of the solar park was 90% complete.

The power generated by the project will be purchased by DEWA under a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA). It is set to prove an attractive ‘golden contract’ for potential investors, avoiding much of the uncertainty surrounding the CAPEX outlay that photovoltaic plants can typically involve, DEWA noted.

The systems set to be used in the plant will epitomise world-leading photovoltaic technology, featuring self-cleaning cells with remote Smart management used throughout, DEWA explained.

The overall project will be one of the largest of its kind in the GCC and will use Big Data to achieve advanced power conservation and channeling – able to smooth power generation curves 24/7 across day and night operation.

In September 2022, DEWA announced that it had received four bids for the 900MW sixth phase of the solar park.