EDF-led consortium wins 1.5-GW Al Ajban solar project in Abu Dhabi

Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) today said it has awarded the development of the 1.5-GW Al Ajban solar PV project to an international consortium of EDF Renewables and Korea Western Power Company (KOWEPO), and UAE-based Masdar as the local shareholder.

The award follows a competitive process in which EWEC received four bids from ACWA Power (TADAWUL:2082), EDF Renewables, Marubeni Corp (TYO:8002), and an alliance consisting of Jinko Power and JERA.

The winning consortium has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with EWEC under which the UAE utility company will pay only for the net electrical energy supplied by the plant.

EDF and its partners will develop, build and operate the large-scale solar park which is planned to go into operation in the third quarter of 2026.

Located in Al Ajban, 70 km northeast of Abu Dhabi, the large-scale plant is expected to power 160,000 households across the UAE, reducing the emirate's carbon emissions by 2.4 million metric tonnes per year.

Solar energy deployment is expanding rapidly in Abu Dhabi. The 2-GW Al Dhafra solar park was commissioned in late 2023 and a competitive process is underway for another large project in the emirate -- the 1.5 GW Al-Khazna solar park which will be built in the Al Khazna area of Abu Dhabi.

By 2030, EWEC aims to supply over 50% of Abu Dhabi's electricity from renewable and clean energy sources. Their latest projections suggest adding 1.4 GW of new solar PV annually from 2027 to 2037.

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!