Another step forward for Al Maktoum solar park: The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has commissioned the 200 MW second unit of the parabolic basin complex in Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park’s fourth phase, Dewa said in a disclosure (pdf) to the DFM yesterday. The solar park is the world’s largest single-site solar park using the IPP model with a planned production capacity of 5 GW by 2030 and investments totalling AED 50 bn (c. USD 13.6 bn).

A big boost for the solar park’s capacity: The commissioning of the second unit in the fourth phase helped boost the solar park’s production capacity to 2.6 GW and Dewa’s total production capacity to 15.1 GW, according to the statement.

About the fourth phase: The 950 MW fourth phase — which is being built by Dewa and a KSA Acwa Power-led consortium that includes the Chinese Silk Road Fund — is the largest single-site project in the world that brings together Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) and photovoltaic technologies, Dewa said. The phase uses the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model with investments of up to AED c.16 bn. It is expected to power 320k households and slash carbon emissions by 1.6 mn tonnes annually, Dewa added.

And that’s not all: The fourth phase utilizes three hybrid technologies to produce clean energy: 600 MW from a parabolic basin complex comprising three units of 200 MW each, 100 MW from the world’s tallest solar power tower, and 250 MW from PV solar panels. Around 717 MW have been commissioned from the fourth phase, which will have the world’s largest thermal storage capacity of 15 hours, allowing 24-7 solar energy availability.

Third unit is nearing completion: The third unit of 200 MW from the parabolic basin complex and 33 MW from PC solar panels at the fourth phase are 87.1% complete, according to the statement.

It’s been a busy summer for the solar park: In August, Dewa selected state-owned renewables firm Masdar to build and operate its 1.8 GW sixth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park, beating Saudi Arabia’s Acwa Power for the bid. The full investment ticket for the upcoming phase is AED 5.5 bn (c. USD 1.5 bn), and it is scheduled to become operational in stages between 4Q 2024 and 2026.