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Ewec to procure 1GW of solar capacity annually until 2036

8 March 2023

Abu Dhabi-based Emirates Water & Electricity Company (Ewec) aims to install a total of 16GW of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity by 2036, according to its executive director for strategy and planning, Bruce Smith.

“This means we plan to procure 1GW of capacity every year until 2036,” the executive said.

Over the intervening period ending in 2030, Ewec envisages having an additional 5GW of solar capacity to reach a total solar installed capacity of 7.3GW by 2030.

The planned capacity aligns with the state utility’s carbon dioxide emissions reduction plan during this period, which includes potentially expanding its nuclear power capacity and deploying carbon capture technologies for its existing thermal power generation assets.

Smith said Ewec expects its first battery energy storage system to come online in the late 2020s to enable optimum use of renewable energy captured during daytime at times when the solar PV fleets do not produce energy.

Ewec aims to reduce its total carbon dioxide emissions from 43 million tonnes a year (t/y) in 2019 to 22 million t/y by 2035.

Ewec expects to achieve a substantial emissions reduction despite a projected 30 per cent increase in peak demand between 2022 and 2029 and 50 per cent between 2022 and 2050.

Ewec announced the company’s Statement of Future Capacity Requirements Summary Report covering 2023 to 2029  seven months after it published the summary of the previous report in August.

The annual document outlines the needed additional power and water production capacity in the emirate over a seven-year window based on expected macroeconomic developments and the retirement of existing fleets.

The previous capacity requirements report envisaged a 20 per cent gross peak power demand increase from 16.8GW in 2022 to 19.9GW in 2028.

Ewec said at the time: “The otherwise consistent increase in peak and total energy demand from 2022 is impacted by a reduction in exports to Sharjah Electricity & Water Authority (Sewa) over 2022-2023 due to the commissioning of their new power plant and the addition of new Adnoc Offshore demand from 2026.”

Ewec’s project’s activities in recent months have aligned with these projections.

The bidding process is under way for the 1.5GW Al-Ajban solar PV project, with Ewec expecting to receive proposals by June.

It has recently awarded the contract to develop the 120MIGD Mirfa 2 seawater reverse osmosis independent water plant (IWP) projects to France’s Engie and is expected to award the contract to develop the 70MIGD Shuweihat 4 IWP to South Korean/Spanish company GS Inima imminently.

MEED has reported that the procurement process may start before year-end for the next solar PV project in Al-Ain and a new gas-fired plant in Sweihan.

Ewec has recently sought transaction advisers for its first battery energy storage system (bess) project, which consists of two 150MW facilities.

MEED also understands that last year’s statement outlined the possibility of procuring up to 16GW of thermal power capacity and around 14GW of solar PV capacity by 2031 to accommodate expected demand until 2036.

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Jennifer Aguinaldo

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