meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Top 10 UAE clean energy projects

18 October 2023

 

Register for MEED's guest programme 

The UAE is expected to showcase its growing green credentials at the Cop28 climate summit, which starts on 30 November in Dubai.

In addition to gradually phasing out fossil fuel subsidies and eliminating methane flaring, UAE-based energy and utility companies have mobilised multibillion-dollar public and private investments in utility-scale clean and renewable energy plants, reverse osmosis technology-based water desalination plants and carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) projects.   

These projects aim to reduce harmful emissions – mainly carbon dioxide – offsetting the environmental impact of the country’s oil industry while it aims to meet its nationally determined contributions (NDCs) for the Paris Agreement, its energy diversification agenda set in 2017, as well as its 2050 net-zero target.

Barakah nuclear power plant

Three of the four reactors at the $29bn Barakah nuclear power plant, located close to the UAE’s border with Saudi Arabia, are operational. Each unit can produce 1,400MW of electricity. The UAE is also looking for opportunities to export its nuclear expertise by investing in and developing nuclear power plants overseas.

Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum Solar Park

The UAE’s first and largest solar photovoltaic (PV) installation is located 50 kilometres away from the Cop28 venue. Nearly all the first five phases of the solar park are operational, with a total combined installed capacity of more than 2.4GW. The project’s fourth phase, probably the world’s largest hybrid solar PV and concentrated solar power plant, is nearing completion. The contract to develop the project’s sixth phase, which is designed to have an installed capacity of 1.8GW, has been awarded this year.

Sweihan and Al-Dhafra solar power plants

Abu Dhabi’s first solar PV plant, the 935MW Sweihan independent power project (IPP), began operating in 2019. The UAE capital’s second utility-scale solar PV IPP in Al-Dhafra, which has a capacity of 1.5GW, is expected to be inaugurated imminently. Emirates Water & Electricity Company (Ewec) received world-record-low tariffs, as has Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (Dewa), for these projects.

Taweelah reverse osmosis facility

With a capacity of 200 million imperial gallons a day, the plant is the world’s largest reverse osmosis-based water desalination facility. Half of the plant’s capacity was completed in 2022, with the other half now in the final commissioning stage. Taweelah is the country’s first independent water producer project, which resulted from the drive to decouple water and power production as a key initiative to decarbonise both sectors.

Reyadah CCUS

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) have been operating the Al-Reyadah carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) facility since 2016. It can capture up to 800,000 tonnes a year (t/y) of carbon dioxide. About 240,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), collected by Al-Reyadah from Emirates Steel Industries, has been injected into Adnoc's reservoirs at its Rumaitha and Bab oil fields to bolster oil recovery.

The project is in line with Adnoc’s commitment to decarbonise its operations, reduce its carbon intensity by 25 per cent by 2030, and deliver on its net zero by 2045 goal. Adnoc estimates the volume of CO2 being locked away underground daily through CCUS deployment across its reservoirs is equivalent to the emissions of more than 1 million vehicles.

Habshan CCUS

Adnoc Gas recently awarded UK-headquartered Petrofac the main contract for a project to develop a $615m carbon capture facility at its Habshan gas processing complex in Abu Dhabi. The Habshan CCUS facility will have the capacity to capture and permanently store 1.5 million t/y of CO2 within geological formations deep underground.

The Habshan CO2 recovery project will be built, operated and maintained by Adnoc Gas and is expected to be commissioned in 2026. The proposed facility will feature carbon capture units at the Habshan gas processing plant, pipeline infrastructure and a network of wells for CO2 injection into oil and gas fields in Abu Dhabi.

Captured CO2 will be permanently stored in reservoirs deep in the sub-surface by deploying closed-loop CO2 capture and reinjection technology at the well site at Adnoc Onshore’s Bab Far North Field, located about 240 kilometres southwest of Abu Dhabi city.

Street lighting PPP

Abu Dhabi awarded two public-private partnership (PPP) contracts in 2020 and 2022 to replace over 176,000 street lights with LED lights. The first phase of the 12-year PPP project is designed to save the municipality AED264m ($71.9m), while the larger second phase is designed to result in cost savings amounting to close to $200m. The project's phase two aims to reduce power consumption by 74 per cent over the 12-year concession period, equivalent to almost 2,400 million kilowatt hours of electricity savings.

Green data centre

Work is progressing on the first phase of the 100MW data centre powered by solar energy at Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai. Hub Integrated Solutions (Moro Hub), a Dewa subsidiary, is the project client. The data centre is envisaged to become the largest solar-powered Uptime Tier 3-certified data centre in the Middle East and Africa, offering digital products and services based on fourth industrial revolution technologies, such as cloud services. The project supports the emirate’s goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and the UAE 2031 Artificial Intelligence Strategy.

Hydrogen pilot site

Dewa, in partnership with Expo 2020 Dubai and Germany’s Siemens Energy, inaugurated the AED50m ($14m) green hydrogen plant at Dubai’s Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum Solar Park in 2021. The integrated facility was developed with electrolysis, storage and re-electrification capabilities. Daylight solar power from the solar park will enable the pilot project to produce about 20.5 kilograms an hour of hydrogen at 1.25MW of peak power.

Large green hydrogen projects

There is an expectation that the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy will issue the UAE capital's green hydrogen policy before the start of, or during, the Cop28 climate summit. If this happens, planned green hydrogen projects worth at least $12bn could see rapid progress.

These projects include the 150MW green hydrogen-based ammonia production plant in Ruwais being developed by France's Engie and Abu Dhabi's Fertiglobe and Masdar; the $1bn green ammonia facility being planned by a South Korean-led consortium in Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (Kezad); and the Masdar City green hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuel project being developed by Masdar, France's Total Energies, Germany’s Siemens Energy and Japan's Marubeni Corporation.

Other projects that are likely to be highlighted include the planned 400MW battery energy storage system in Abu Dhabi and the seawater reverse osmosis facilities that are under construction or in the bid phase across the UAE. 

Projects to retrofit public buildings to improve their sustainability, and the adoption of district cooling and electric vehicle policies, among others, will also likely share the spotlight as the UAE prepares to host its most important event of 2023.

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/11228094/main1001.jpg
Jennifer Aguinaldo

Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Dubai awards $272m Al-Maktoum airport runway deal

    9 May 2025

     

    Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP) has awarded a AED1bn ($272m) deal to local firm Binladin Contracting Group to construct the second runway as part of the expansion of Dubai’s Al-Maktoum International airport.

    MEED understands that the contract was finalised in Q1 of this year, and the construction works have started.

    The airport, which will cover an area of 70 square kilometres south of Dubai, will have five parallel runways, five terminal buildings and 400 aircraft gates.

    It will be five times the size of the existing Dubai International airport and have the world’s largest passenger handling capacity of 260 million passengers a year. For cargo, it will have the capacity to handle 12 million tonnes a year.

    The construction works on the first phase of the project are expected to be completed by 2032.

    Dubai approved the updated designs and timelines for its largest construction project in April last year.

    The government of Dubai said that the plan is for all operations from Dubai International airport to be transferred to Al-Maktoum International airport within 10 years.

    The government statement added that the project will create housing demand for 1 million people around the airport.

    In September last year, MEED exclusively reported that a team comprising Austria’s Coop Himmelb(l)au and Lebanon’s Dar Al-Handasah had been confirmed as the lead master planning and design consultants on the expansion of Dubai’s Al-Maktoum International airport.

    Project history

    The expansion of Al-Maktoum International airport is a long-standing project. Also known as Dubai World Central (DWC), it was officially launched in 2014 with a different design from the one approved in April 2024. Back then, it involved building the biggest airport in the world by 2050, with the capacity to handle 255 million passengers a year.

    An initial phase, due to be completed in 2030, involved increasing the airport’s capacity to 130 million passengers a year. The development was to cover an area of 56 square kilometres.

    Progress on the project slipped as the region grappled with the impact of lower oil prices and Dubai focused on developing the Expo 2020 site. Tendering for work on the project then stalled with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020.

    MEED’s May 2025 report on the UAE includes:

    > COMMENT: UAE is poised to weather the storm
    > GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY: UAE looks to economic longevity
    > BANKING: UAE banks dig in for new era
    > UPSTREAM: Adnoc in cruise control with oil and gas targets
    > DOWNSTREAM: Abu Dhabi chemicals sector sees relentless growth
    > POWER: AI accelerates UAE power generation projects sector
    > CONSTRUCTION: Dubai construction continues to lead region
    > TRANSPORT: UAE accelerates its $60bn transport push
    > DATABANK: UAE growth prospects head north

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13847301/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Siemens Energy signs preliminary 14GW Iraq pact

    9 May 2025

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Germany’s Siemens Energy and Iraq’s Electricity Ministry have signed a preliminary agreement to add 14GW of electricity generation capacity to Iraq’s grid.

    The firms also signed two long-term service contracts for the Dibis and Al-Mussaib gas-fired power plants.

    The contract for the Dibis power plant covers two generating units with a combined capacity of 340MW.

    The five-year maintenance contract for the Al-Mussaib power station includes rehabilitating units with a capacity of 750MW and an additional 150MW, along with support for safe operations and performance optimisation.

    The announcement was made following a meeting between Siemens Energy CEO Christian Bruch and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Sudani, local media reported. 

    The deals were signed a few weeks after US-headquartered GE Vernova signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Iraqi government to establish 24GW of combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plants in the country.

    In late April, Iraq and Siemens Energy also announced breaking ground on a project to build a new CCGT power generation plant in Nasiriyah in Iraq’s southern Dhi Qar governorate.   

    The project is part of a $1.68bn development package that Al-Sudani recently launched.

    In addition to the CCGT plant, the other projects include the Nasiriyah Integrated Medical City, a 700-bed hospital complex and infrastructure works in the Suq Al-Shuyukh district.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13847219/main.jpg
    Jennifer Aguinaldo
  • Abu Dhabi hopes bigger is better with Disney theme park

    8 May 2025

    Commentary
    Colin Foreman
    Editor

    Ever since Aldar Properties first launched the Yas Island project with its Yas Marina Circuit for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2006, Abu Dhabi has been steadily adding theme parks to the island’s roster of attractions. First, there was the Ferrari theme park, then came a water park, a Warner Bros theme park and, most recently, SeaWorld. 

    The theory with theme park development is bigger is better. 

    A destination needs a series of parks to create a critical mass to attract visitors who can stay and enjoy multiple parks in one visit. The example always cited is Florida, which is home to many of the world’s largest theme parks, including Disney World. 

    The theory gained particular traction in the region when Dubai Parks and Resorts opened. The company, which was public until it was acquired by Meraas in 2021, reported significant losses as it struggled to attract enough visitors.

    Although it opened with Legoland, Legoland Waterpark, Motiongate and Bollywood theme parks, insiders said that the problem with the development was that it did not have enough attractions to turn it into a successful theme park destination. 

    The financial performance of theme parks on Yas Island has not been publicly disclosed. While it is accepted that they have been more successful than their counterparts in Dubai, some say that the island still does not have the critical mass required to establish itself as a global destination for theme park visitors.


    Miral has developed a series of theme parks and other entertainment-related attractions on Yas Island 

    Enter Disney

    Disney changes that. It is the largest brand in the theme park space and will be a major attraction, but with limited information released on the project so far, it is difficult to fully gauge how significant the project will be. 

    The official release said that the project will be developed and operated by Abu Dhabi developer Miral, adding that Disney’s in-house design and engineering unit, Walt Disney Imagineering, will lead creative design and operational oversight to provide a world-class experience. It did not give any details on the ownership of the project. 

    In Hong Kong, for example, a company, Hong Kong International Theme Parks, was established as a joint venture, with the Government of Hong Kong holding 57% and The Walt Disney Company holding 43%. 

    In Japan, the structure is different. The Tokyo Disney Resort is owned and operated by Oriental Land, and the company pays licences and royalties to The Walt Disney Company.

    In interviews following the launch announcement, Miral CEO Mohamed Abdalla Al-Zaabi confirmed the arrangement will be like Tokyo. 

    Waterfront location

    The official release for the Abu Dhabi launch also said that the project is on Yas Island, which only has limited areas of land to develop. The release also said that the land is waterfront, and imagery in the launch video shows the Abu Dhabi skyline in the background, suggesting the land is on the northern waterfront of Yas Island. 

    There is a substantial tract of undeveloped land on the north shore of the island, which measures about 2 square kilometres (sq km). This is larger than the site that Hong Kong Disneyland occupies, and much smaller than Disney World in Florida, which spans an area of 111 sq km – nearly five times the size of the whole of Yas Island and nearly double the size of Abu Dhabi Island.

    The hope is that Yas Island will become a leading global theme park destination and attract large numbers of visitors wanting a holiday with multiple theme park visits

    Exclusivity clause

    Another area of interest will be whether Abu Dhabi has an exclusivity agreement with Disney for the region. No exclusivity was mentioned at the launch, but in Hong Kong, the issue became contentious when Disney announced plans to build a park shortly after Disneyland Hong Kong opened. Local politicians criticised the Hong Kong government for not including an exclusivity clause in its deal with Disney. 

    Tourism gateway

    Like Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi is a smaller economy sitting next to a larger regional player. With Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Vision 2030 strategy and its existing roster of theme park developments at Qiddiya, which includes a Six Flags, a water park and a Dragon Ball Z theme park, developers in Riyadh would likely be keen to have a Disney theme park, too. 

    For now, with Disney on board in Abu Dhabi, the hope is that Yas Island will become a leading global theme park destination and attract large numbers of visitors wanting a holiday with multiple theme park visits.

    The potential is certainly there. During the project launch, Disney highlighted that the UAE is located within a four-hour flight of one-third of the world’s population, making it a significant gateway for tourism. It is also home to the largest global airline hub in the world, with 120 million passengers travelling through Abu Dhabi and Dubai each year.

    If that potential is realised, then the bigger is better theory will be proved right. If the park’s performance disappoints, then it will suggest the region is not such a great destination for theme parks after all. 

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13840555/main.gif
    Colin Foreman
  • Firms bag $850m Qatar substation contracts

    8 May 2025

    Four local and international firms have won contracts for the construction of seven high-voltage substations in Qatar.

    State-backed Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa) signed the contracts, which have a total combined value of approximately QR3.1bn ($850m), with the following firms:

    • Elsewedy Cables Qatar Company (local/Egypt)
    • Voltage Engineering (local)
    • Best/Betas Consortium (Turkey)
    • Taihan Cable & Solution (South Korea)

    Kahramaa said the projects aim to “meet electrical network demand in light of the country's fast-growing …urban development”.

    The contracts include the provision and installation of underground cables and overhead lines extending around 212 kilometres to connect these substations.

    Qatari companies won the largest share, equivalent to 58.4% or QR1.8bn, of the total contract value.

    This reflects “our great confidence in the capabilities of the local private sector and its pivotal role in achieving our development vision and achieving Qatar National Vision 2030”, said Kahramaa president Abdulla Bin Ali Al-Theyab.

    Qatar Minister of State for Energy Affairs, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, and senior executives from Kahramaa and the contracting firms signed the deals at a ceremony held in Doha.

    Al-Kaabi said the projects will help “ensure our networks' continued and sustainable ability to accommodate the unprecedented growth of the power sector and meet the increasing electricity demand”.

    Kahramaa said the contractors will undertake the construction of electrical substations and the connection of cables and overhead lines, as well as the development of some existing substations to increase their capacity.

    Qatar has been ramping up its power generation capacity in recent years.  

    Qatar's Emir, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, inaugurated the Ras Laffan and Mesaieed solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants on 28 April.

    The two plants have a combined capacity of 875MW and will more than double Qatar’s solar energy production to 1,675MW.

    In February, Qatar Electricity & Water Company (QEWC) and Kahramaa signed a power-purchase agreement for a 511MW peak electricity generation plant at Ras Abu Fontas, which will have a total cost of approximately QR1.6bn. The peak power plant is scheduled to become operational by January 2027.

    A consortium led by South Korea's Doosan Enerbility, and that includes Beijing-headquartered PowerChina, will undertake the Ras Abu Fontas peak power plant's engineering, procurement and construction contract, with Germany's Siemens Energy supplying the plant's gas turbines.

    Photo credit: Kahramaa

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13838850/main.jpg
    Jennifer Aguinaldo
  • OQ to take interest in Oman renewable projects

    8 May 2025

    OQ Alternative Energy (OQAE), part of Oman’s state-backed energy group OQ, will be taking shares in Oman’s renewable energy independent power projects (IPP), starting with the Ibri 3 solar scheme.

    “The direction seems to be for OQ Alternative Energy to own up to 25% shares in the upcoming solar and wind IPP projects in the sultanate,” says a source familiar with the plans.

    Before this development, private developers and investors owned the total shares in such projects, similar to the existing structure in Saudi Arabia.

    With this policy change, Oman will now be more closely aligned with the existing project structure in the UAE, where either Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa), Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) or the state utility, Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (Dewa), owns stakes in these projects.

    However, OQAE’s planned 25% ownership share will be slightly lower than the typical 40% to 60% shares that Taqa, Masdar or Dewa owns in the UAE’s renewable energy IPP projects.

    Currently, OQAE owns a 51% share in three renewable energy projects being developed in partnership with France’s TotalEnergies for the state-backed firm, Petroleum Development Oman (PDO).

    The Riyah-1 and Riyah-2 wind power plants will be located in the Amin and West Nimr fields in southern Oman, while the North Solar project will be situated in northern Oman.

    Each plant will have a capacity of 100MW, Total Energies announced in December.

    PDO will purchase the electricity from the plants through long-term power-purchase agreements with the developer team, whose 49% shares are owned by TotalEnergies.

    OQAE is also part of Hyport Coordination Company, a consortium comprising Belgium’s Deme Concessions and BP Oman. The consortium plans to develop a green hydrogen project in Duqm that can produce more than 50 tonnes a year of green hydrogen in its first phase by 2029.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13838800/main.jpg
    Jennifer Aguinaldo