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Abu Dhabi to quit gas-fired generation by 2050

23 February 2024

Abu Dhabi-based state utility Emirates Water & Electricity Company (Ewec) expects to progressively reduce gas-fired generation with the aim of eliminating its use in 2050.

However, the company added that it continues to see a crucial role in the short- and medium-term for gas generation.

The summary of Ewec’s latest Statement of Future Capacity Requirements (SFCR) covering the years 2024 to 2037 was issued earlier this week.

The annual SFCR provides recommendations for future power generation and water desalination capacities in Abu Dhabi based on a modelling approach that considers Ewec’s sustainability targets as well as various macroeconomic inputs.

“Gas will increasingly be used as a transition fuel that will enable the integration of large amounts of renewable energy into the system,” the annual SFCR said.

The base case forecast indicates that an approximately equal share of new combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) and open cycle gas turbine (OCGT), totalling a recommended  5.1GW,  delivers the least cost to the Abu Dhabi electricity system, it added.

The Abu Dhabi government has set a target to achieve 60 per cent clean energy, from renewables and nuclear, by 2035.

It also expects demand for both power and water to increase by an average of 5 per cent annually until the end of the forecast period, due to underlying economic growth and electrification of other sectors such as transportation and industry to support decarbonisation.

The latest SFCR’s recommendations include:

  • Development of 1.5GW of solar capacity by 2027 following the completion of the Al Ajban solar independent power project (IPP) in 2026
  • Development of 400MW of battery energy storage with a one-hour depth of storage for the provision of grid stability by 2026
  • 5.1GW of thermal capacity is required to support the integration of renewable energy projects into the system. This will comprise 2.6GW of low-cost OCGT to be available by 2027 and 2.5GW of CCGT to be available by 2028.
  • Procurement of at least 380,000 cubic metres a day or 62MIGD of reverse osmosis capacity by 2029

The recommendations and demand growth forecast are understood to have considered the capacities that are currently under construction.

“The planning recommendation to proceed with the immediate development in 2023 of each of these battery, solar PV and gas generation projects reflects the varying times to implement and achieve commercial operation for these different technologies,” the SFCR stated.

 

 

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