DEWA solar project draws 30 expressions of interest

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has received expressions of interest from 30 parties interested in building a 200 megawatt (MW) concentrated solar power (CSP) plant, the firm said yesterday. The scheme is the first of its kind for the technology in Dubai and will form part of 1,000 MW in planned CSP capacity by 2030 at the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum Solar Park. DEWA has already tendered for three phases at the park, totalling 1,000 MW, all of which have used photovoltaic (PV) technology. Generating electricity using PV panels is cheaper, but CSP panels are more efficient as they can store energy for use during periods of low or no sunlight. DEWA did not name the parties which expressed interest in the first CSP stage. The first CSP plant is due to be operational by April 2021.